I meet Rise of TMNT
by Angelxoxo8
Summary: Four mutant turtles brothers go on adventures, learning about their newly-acquired mystic weapons along the way. And they have a brunette girl along the way as they learn more about her and accept her as a friend.
1. Mystic Mayhem

**Angel: Hello everybody! I'm back with Rise of the TMNT! I'm currently still working on the movie version of 2012, to those who are curious, and I am also planning on the release the remake of the first season of that series soon. So that's why you haven't seen any TMNT stuff from me besides this, of course XD As for the next chapter for THIS version, MAYBE I'll release the next episodes soon, and then update what I'm missing when the episodes premiere, like Donnie's Gifts.**

 **And if there are still haters out there, just remember...this is not gonna change TMNT forever. There are other ways to enjoy the franchise if you're all like 'Oh, it's always Leo who's the leader' or 'Oh, it's all comedic.' So one TV show that's different is not gonna change the franchise, cause no. It HAS been proved that TMNT has different universes, like 1987 or 2003 or 2012. Or if you REALLY wanna get technical about this, Next Mutation is a thing...so yeah, this universe is slightly different, and that statement is canon. It's not that unbelievable that this universe has Raph as a leader if you're looking at it that way. Anyway, I've said my piece.**

A slim girl with tan skin is being chased down by two thugs as she rides a red motorcycle. She has long dark brown hair that stops at her arms, which is in a high ponytail. Her ends are dyed blonde. Her outfit is a green Capri long-sleeved jacket, a white spaghetti strapped shirt with a pink heart in the middle, a pink ruffled skirt, and pink ankle boots. She also has green stockings and wears a dark red helmet over her face, the glass where the eyes should be gone. Instead, her eyes are covered by a pair of sunglasses, with black lenses and pink as the base. A mutant dog thing is sitting on her lap, which has orange fur, teal covering part of its ears and tail. There's also some red on its fur in various places. The little mutant has a green vial around his neck.

"Hey!" A man exclaims as she speeds past them.

"What the-"

She maneuvers around them, waving a hand. "Sorry about that!"

The mutant dog shakes his head, chittering at her driving. "Hey, you wanna live, stop hanging around me. But we both know that we have to stick together if we wanna make it through this," She glances down at him. "Alive."

Mutants. _Ugh._ To her, they were just another problem in the world. She never really liked them around her. But, if she wanted to shake 'em, she and this...thing would have to work together.

A dark skinned man and white man are wearing a blue and red track suit respectively. They both have dogs in their harnesses. The girl jumps over an awning, knocking some flags onto the ground. When the thugs reach them, they move carefully as possible so they won't step on them. They continue chasing after the two. The brunette looks behind her before she speeds past a delivery man and his customer.

"Whoa!"

"Ah!"

"Not cool, dudette!" The delivery man calls after her.

"I'll come back and pay for it!" The girl shouts back, the thugs crashing through them and the stand.

"Better watch where you're going, man!" The delivery man yells at them.

The girl turns sharply to the left before coming to a dead end. She places one foot on the ground, glancing at the only way out.

"This way."

The mutant dog whimpers before he curls up into a ball and teleports to where the entrance is along with the girl! The female looks down at him in shock.

"Oh, you're not so useless after all, are you?" She asks, placing a hand on her hip. The mutant dog chitters at her angrily and she holds up her hands in defense, closing her eyes.

"Fine, fine. I know we got off on the wrong start, but you're alright," she admits before her nose twitches, sneezing. "Even though I'm slightly allergic to you." She revs up her bike and takes off, the two chasers looking pretty determined to stop them.

* * *

On a building rooftop right next to a rooftop pool later that night, a business man is having a gathering. He looks very dangerous and wealthy. Several guards surround him before someone opens up the briefcase, revealing some high-end stuff as it shines brightly in a gold color. The man laughs to himself, four shadows watching him in the moonlight. All that can be seen are bandanas in red, purple, blue, and orange. They jump off the rooftop, flying down right in front of a billboard. The purple one spins his high-tech bo staff, the end of it turning into a claw. He fires it at the building right across from them, the wire looming over where the festivities are.

"Yellow Submarine, are we clear?" The red shadow asks into a walkie-talkie.

"Affirmative, Red Rover," a female voice tells him, who doesn't sound like the girl who was being chased earlier that day.

"Copy. Alright boys, it's go time."

The four hook their harnesses to the zipline, which is told apart by their respective colors. They zoom to the building as the man looks at his riches and the red one holds up a hand to signal their stop.

Until they pass right over him.

Their true objective was the pool right next to the building and the red shadow points down. They jump down one by one.

They're revealed to be turtles as the first one is a lean mutant red-eared turtle with lime green skin, a golden mustard-yellow plastron, and a blue-green carapace with a bright teal design. He has black eyes, red markings over his eyes and the sides of his face, yellow marks on his upper arms and thighs, three fingers on each hand and two toes on each foot. He wears a blue face mask over his eyes (with long tails down to his middle back), navy blue fingerless gloves (with blue trim) that extend nearly to his elbows and matching toeless socks that rise to mid-calf. He also wears a blue belt and strap over his right shoulder, with blue pouches on the belt and a Turtle emblem on the strap. "Cow!"

The second one has teal green skin, yellow-orange circles painted on his shoulders and thighs, a bright yellow plastron with neon pink and blue lightning bolts painted on it, and a navy teal carapace with yellow-orange designs. He has black eyes, a small gap on the right side of his upper jaw, three fingers on each hand and two toes on each foot. He wears an orange mask over his eyes (with short mask tails), orange wristbands and color-matching socks and orange knee pads with faces drawn on them (dead face on the right and smiley face on the left). He also wears a light brown belt around his chest and strap over his right shoulder, as well as a Turtle emblem over his heart. "A!"

The third one is a mutant soft-shell turtle with jade green skin (with purple pixel designs painted on his upper arms and thighs), a light brown plastron and dark brown carapace. He also has a large head (to compliment his intelligence), thick black eyebrows, black eyes, three fingers and two toes on each foot. He wears a purple mask that pulls over the top of his head (with short square-cut mask tails), silver convertible goggles with a red and blue lens and a purple battle shell that fits over his real shell. He also wears purple fingerless gloves with matching socks on his feet, a silver tech-gauntlet with a blue touchscreen, purple elbow and knee pads, black shorts, and a purple belt with color-matching pouches and Turtle emblem. He also has a tech bo. "Bun."

The last turtle is large and muscular, with bright green skin, a yellow-orange plastron with a jagged top edge and a spiked dark green carapace. He also has small spikes protruding from his shoulders, black eyes, a small sharp tooth hanging from his upper right jaw, three fingers on each hand and two toes on each foot. He wears a red mask that covers the top of his head (with long jagged mask tails about the same length as Leo's), red elbow pads with a large spike at the joint, off-white bandages around his wrists, hands and ankles, and small bandages on his right side of his plastron and left forearm. He also wears red shorts and a red belt with a Turtle emblem. "Ga!"

"Cannonball!" They do signature poses as they crash into the pool, making a huge splash.

"Whoo!" A black teenage girl with black eyes, thick eyelashes and curly brunette hair with bangs and two high ponytails. She often wears a pair of red cat-eye glasses with yellow lenses. She wears a black choker around her neck, a long yellow t-shirt and a green sweatshirt with quarter sleeves, pale green trim and stripes, single button, and a "S" like logo over her heart and backside of the sweatshirt. She also wears dark navy blue leggings and yellow sneakers. She ultimately gets splashed as she holds her phone, but she doesn't seem to care. "Woo woo!"

The four turtles dance in the now empty pool.

"Ha, you must be this rad to ride that ride," Mikey, the artist and youngest, gestures to himself.

"Well, based on our velocity and entry angle," Donnie, the smartest and the 'tech turtle,' walks up to him while typing on his wrist computer. "I concur. We rad."

"You guys crushed it!" April O'Neil, their only human friend, cheers. "Give me five! Or three!" The turtles jump out of the pool, high threeing her.

"Couldn't have done it without you, April," Raph, the oldest and the leader, smiles down at her. "Our girl with the plan."

April pats her hair at the praise. Leo, the rebel and quick-witted turtle, snatches a pair of keys from her. "And keys to the roof," He waves them in the air and she snatches them. He sticks his tongue out at her.

"Let's go bungee dunk on the hoops at Rucker Park," Mikey places his arms around April and Raph.

"Game on! Just one thing first," she places down two yellow signs. "Wet floor, and dry pool." She places her hands on her hips, the other turtles looking smug. "Our work is done here." She turns to Donnie. "Donnie, can I hitch a ride?"

"No probbles," he agrees and she leaps on his back. Part of his shell turns into a makeshift bike and she sits on him. Donnie lifts into the air and takes off.

"Uh huh, uh huh!"

The other turtles jump off, following after them. As Raph is jumping, however, he sees a girl on a bike with the mutant dog as she comes to a stop. He looks scared as she puts him down. Raph's eyes grow soft before his eyes sparkle at the bike. He crashes into the building he was hoping to land on, pulling himself up.

"Hey! Hey guys, hold up," he points down at the two. "Little guy looks lost. But that is one sweet ride!"

Leo turns around and sparkles form, though it's not sure if he's looking at the girl or the bike. Probably both.

The girl gets off her ride and lifts up her helmet, revealing her face. Her eyes are emerald green and her bangs are also blonde along with the ends of her hair, her bangs a curly fringe at the right side of her face. Her face is heart shaped.

"So...beautiful..." Leo stares with sparkles in his eyes.

Raph jumps down and lands behind the two, the girl backing up slightly. "Aww. Hey, little guy. What you doing here?" He makes kissy noises at the mutant, the girl rolling her eyes at him. The turtles notice the girl staring at them and they stare back, blinking. She blinks too and Raph whispers.

"Plan H, guys." He coughs, placing his hands behind his back. "Can ya give us directions to the local science fiction con-"

"If this is your 'plan H,' it's not going very well for you, is it?" She interrupts in a snarky way. They look at her in shock that she was able to tell they're real.

"So, uh," Leo clears his throat, leaning on her shoulder. "Come around here often?" He raises his eyebrows in a teasing way. Donnie examines her bike in awe.

"You use that on all the girls?" The girl raises an eyebrow sarcastically, crossing her arms.

"Nope. You're the first, my lady," He holds her hand, kissing it. "The name's Leo, but you can call me Leon," he winks at her. She pulls her hand away.

"I'd rather call you wonder turtle then to give you the satisfaction," She points at him with a smirk.

"So...you have a name or..." Donnie asks expectantly. They jump down there, start touching her and her things, and they wanted a name?

"I think I'll pull a me and not tell you since you're, you know, mutants," she growls slightly, the turtles confused. They couldn't tell if she was naturally like this in her personality or she really did dislike mutants. "Mutants are the last thing I wanna talk to right now, especially since someone's after this little...thing," she points down to the mutant dog. She just wanted to be alone, but nooo, they had to appear out of nowhere and try to talk to the thing.

"Hey, what did we do to you, chica?" Mikey asks in a hurt tone and she doesn't answer.

"Come to big Raphie," Raph continues and his friend and brothers laugh at him. "What? Pets love me, alright? I am at one with the animals." The dog scratches up his face, to the shock of the others before he lands in April's arms, licking her face.

"Pets don't seem to like either of us, huh?" the girl stifles a laugh at Raph and he glances at her, noticing her easing up a bit. Doesn't mean she liked them, though.

"Aww. I didn't get this drenched from the cannonball," April cuddles it, already growing closer to it by the second.

"It looks so weird. What is it?" Mikey whispers to his two brothers.

"You seem to know it. What's the deal, girlie?" Raph points to the girl.

"If you must know, my name's Amy. As for the little guy, I don't know what it is," Amy shrugs.

"Nice to meet you, ma cherry," Leo bows, trying to be friendly.

"It's ma cherie," Donnie whispers to correct him before bending down eye level to the thing. "Maybe it's some kind of nuclear St Bernard," He eyes the little vial.

They hear an angry scoff and turn around to see the two thugs that were after Amy and the mutant.

"Ooh! More humans!" Raph exclaims, the turtles hiding behind April. "Initiate plan H." They make their teeth buck-toothed, like nerds.

"Um, excuse me, sirs," Leo makes his voice nasally. "Can you direct us to the local science fiction convention that we are currently dressed for?"

"Is wonder turtle here for real?" Amy whispers to April, who just smiles nervously.

"Just go with it, girl," she whispers back.

"Snazzy turtle outfits, huh?" Mikey asks, touching something on his shell.

"We are just typical, normal humans who got lost in the middle of our normal, everyday human lives," Donnie says weirdly, pumping a fist. "Nailed it."

"Give to me creature," They all gasp as one of them speaks, not fazed at all by the ruse. Amy stands near April. "How you say...pretty please? Or I'll destroy the both of you."

"Really?" Raph narrows his eyes, pointing a finger at them. "You think you're gonna step to our friend and our...acquaintance? Unwilling female?" He thinks about it as Amy crosses her eyes, raising an eyebrow at him. "What's the word for someone who doesn't like us, but is on our side? Whatever. Rookie mistake, hoss!" He punches his fists as a tthreat.

"And if you step to my friends and this girl for stepping to you...for st-stepping to us? You're gonna have to st-step to us. Mmkay?" April tries to look threatening, but gets confused in the middle of it.

"You do not intimidate us, with or without your fake nerd voices," the blue jacket thug tells them.

"That was actually my real voice," Donnie points out, arms crossed.

"Well, you better get intimidated, 'cause we're like nothing you've ever seen," Raph declares.

"What's wrong with my voice?" Donnie asks, wanting to know, but no one answers him. Amy slides in front of them.

"Move aside, rookies," she glares at the thugs, perplexing the others. The last thing she needed was them getting in her way.

"But...aren't you a girl in danger? Aren't they...chasing you?" Mikey asks in confusion. Oh, so they're the heroic type. Well, she wasn't gonna give them a chance.

"I'm a girl," Amy turns to them slightly. "I'm in danger. I can handle these two jokers." She fake smiles, wiggling her fingers at them. "So run along and have fun, mutants."

The two suddenly glow purple, a purple aura surrounding them. They give a sound of shock and awe, but Amy doesn't seem fazed by it at all.

"Jumping Jack Flash!" Raph exclaims and they just stare at them as they slowly transform, along with their dogs. The dogs are now mutants and the thugs look almost like knights. Amy's nose twitches again before she lets out a small sneeze.

"Allergic much?" Donnie asks her and she gives him a look.

"So..." Leo places his hands behind his back. "You guys from Jersey?"

"Really, Leo?" Mikey deadpans, Donnie and Amy giving him looks in disbelief.

"What? I can't make a joke in the middle of the craziest thing ever? That's how I cope. For example," He puts a fist to his mouth as he clears his throat, placing a hand on his plastron. "M'lady, have I ever told you that ever since meeting you, you turn our world upside down?"

"No, but don't push your luck, wonder turtle," She retorts playfully. Raph spins his sais in his hands.

"Whatever. This is our chance to finally use these babies!" Mikey has his nunchucks, Leo has double katana, and Donnie keeps his tech bo. "Weapons ahoy!"

Donnie breaks out of his pose. "We agreed to reserve 'ahoy' for ship-based adventures, pal, please."

"Let us handle this, sweetheart," Leo pushes Amy away.

" 'Sweetheart?' " Amy asks him in slight anger, the two mutants attacking.

"Guys, I got this," Donnie spins his tech bo, two rockets appearing on both sides. They activate and he spins it before he throws it. "Fibonacci!" It spins in a circle before it shorts out, flying out of control.

Amy steps up to him, crossing her arms. "Is it supposed to do that?" She points to the bo.

"Ah no, no-oh, no, no, that's so bad," Donnie freaks out. The dog mutant suddenly teleports out of April's arms.

"Dog thingy!"

It appears in the sky and grabs Donnie's bo in its mouth, teleporting above him and giving him his stick back.

"Hey, it plays fetch," it teleports back into April's arms. "And teleports, which is-" He finally lets it sink in. "Oh my gosh, it teleports! Did you know about this?" Donnie turns to Amy, who smiles sheepishly. One of the mutant knights points his sword at Donnie, firing a wave of energy, making him crash into a pile of concrete bricks. Amy glances at him, not at all impressed.

 _Is this really how they fight?_

"Donnie!" April exclaims in worry.

"Pro tip," Donnie holds up a finger. "The inexplicable glowy wave, extraordinarily painful." He lets his hand drop and April gasps as she turns to watch the fight.

"Alright, Mikey," Raph turns to his little brother. "You take the one that looks like a broken toaster. I'll take the guy that looks like a fancy trash can." A sword appears right in front of them, scaring them a little.

"They look exactly the same!" Mikey points out before they get chased by the mutant dogs. "And they don't look like either of those things!"

Amy shakes her head at them, that same scowl still on her face. _This...is so lame._

Leo looks at his brothers. "Hey, where are you going?" He sees Amy and smirks. "Oh don't worry princess, Leon will wipe that scowl off your face with his mad skills."

"Oh, there won't be much to awe over if that's the case," Amy waves it off. "So I'll just watch these 'mad' skills you speak of."

He hears a snarl and turns around to the other thug-turned-mutant. "Ya had to ruin cannonball day," Leo looks a little dismayed before winking at Amy. He dashes over to and spins, swinging his swords. He opens one eye to see the blades gone. He sweats as the blades...are in the dog's mouth. The dog mutant bites them in half.

"My swords!"

"Ha!" Amy points to him, laughing. "You're right, that did wipe the scowl off my face."

"I think he's trying to impress you," April wiggles her eyebrows.

"It takes a lot to impress me, and that," Amy points forward, "was anything but impressive." _He's got skills...I'll give him that. That move was pretty good..._

Leo throws whatever was left of his sword at the thug. He slams his sword down, which Leo leaps over." I don't need weapons to beat you!" He ducks over a swing. "I got my rad skills!" He uses the truck to flip in the air...and then lands on his head.

"Ooh," Amy cringes slightly. "That had to hurt...along with your pride." _At least he knows how to protect himself to an extent...wait, why am I still thinking about him? He's just a mutant._

Raph is pushed against the scaffolding and coughs from the slight smoke. Mikey lands near him. "Mikey, ninja mode!" They both back away into the shadows and the mutant sees them holding onto the pipes. Raph moves to make himself hidden, but it doesn't really work. "Okay, uh, there's a chance he can still see us." The purple ray is fired at them and they jump out of the way. "Okay, plan double B!"

"Yeah!" Mikey cheers, his head, arms, and legs going into his shell. Raph throws him towards the mutant.

"Brother ball!"

The mutant knight catches Mikey immediately and Mikey pulls out his nunchucks. He spins them rapidly, but he hits himself instead of the mutant multiple times. "Take that!"

He's left with multiple bruises on his face. "Had enough yet?" The mutant puts him in a bubble and simply moves his arm, causing Mikey to be thrown away. He crushes the wood nunchucks into pieces.

"Hey!, why don't you pick on someone my size?" He spins his sais and the knight snaps his fingers, causing his dog mutant to chase after him. Raph screams and runs around in a circle before the dog mutant grabs his head by the mouth. It slams him back and forth before he's finally thrown into the ground. He looks up and attempts to grab his sai, only to have them destroyed by the purple rays. He gasps in shock and looks up at the knight. He swings them into the pile of his brothers. Donnie looks up nervously at the two.

"Hey!" A brick is thrown at them, which breaks into pieces. They look to see April and Amy. "Trash can and toaster boy!"

"Even though I still don't like 'em, lay off!" Amy yells, as she sort of pitied them.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll leave my friends..." One of their hands grows purple, trapping the dog thingy into a sphere. "Alone. What the?" April holds it as he tries to teleport out, but can't. The sphere starts to be pulled towards the two.

"No! No!" April shouts as she tries to get it back. Amy moves behind her and pulls her jacket, but it doesn't work. When the dog thingy is grabbed, they electrocute the two girls, knocking them back.

"I have the agent, and the vial," He looks at the green liquid inside the dog mutant's vial. His hand glows and a symbol appears on the wall. It kind of looked like an M. A strange portal opens up, the turtles seeing it.

"Whoa!"

Suddenly, they hear a bell and turn to see the same delivery man from before. "Sweet shortcut." He gasps as he doesn't recognize it. "Wait. This is not a shortcut!" He rides into the portal and immediately falls down a hole.

"Ah, good to know," Mikey comments.

The dog mutant whimpers before it's taken away.

"The dog thingy!" They run after it and the girls jump in.

"April, Amy, no!" Raph jumps forward to catch them, but crashes into the wall instead. Leo and Donnie give worried looks. "Amy, April!"Raph sits up with a bruise on his head. Just because she doesn't like them doesn't mean they couldn't worry about her safety.

"I think they're okay, cause there's no, like, Amy and April bits on the ground," Leo looks around. The three look behind the wall.

"Hey girls, are your bits on the other side of the wall?" Raph asks and doesn't get an answer. "How do we get them out of there?"

"And, equally important, where is 'there?' " Donnie wonders as Mikey just stares at the symbol on the wall. He recognizes it as he snaps his fingers.

"Oh, hey! I've seen this before!" His brothers join him as they stare at it. "In fact, we all have."

* * *

The exact same symbol is on a watch device on a shelf. It also has various things like nekos, pots, and pans. "In Splinter's do not touch cabinet."

They all stare at it as Splinter is watching TV. He is a short and plump mutant rat with grey fur, as well as white fur in his ears, white hair with a section tied into a top bun, white bushy eyebrows and a goatee to compliment. He has golden yellow eyes, a red-pink nose, black whiskers on his cheeks, his arms and legs are pink (with his hands having five fingers instead of the usual four) and a small tear on his right ear. Splinter wears a black hair tie to hold up his white top bun and a brown kimono with orange trim and red lotus flowers printed on the kimono.

"You're right. It's just like the symbol those creeps have," Raph says in realization.

"Should we just ask him for it?" Mikey questions, acting as if he was gonna give it to them.

"And what do we say if he asks why we want it?" Leo points out. "That we need it to go after our best friend and that incredibly hot girl," his brothers give him a teasing look when he whispers that, "Who disappeared into a wall after our priceless weapons were destroyed by mystical jogger guys?" Raph places a hand on his head, shushing him.

"Okay, here's the plan," He whispers, "We gotta get Splinter out of the room."

He's watching a commercial in Japanese. The four turtles stand in front of him, bowing. Raph opens an eye.

"Hey Pop. Any chance we could have the living room tonight?" He puts on a smile. Splinter is a short gerbil with white hair and looks like he's gained a few pounds. He sips a carton of milk, a few crumbs on his robe. He opens an eye before laughing and coughing.

"And I thought purple was the funny one!" He exclaims, Donnie looking at his brothers.

"I told you guys I was the funniest." He turns back to Splinter, holding a few wires. "What if I hooked it up so that you could watch in bed, huh? Wouldn't that be even lazier?" Mikey gestures to him like a TV show host and Raph fluffs a pillow.

"No! My butt is asleep, just how I like it," He rubs his behind. "Now, leave me be! They're about to break out the scorpions!"

They turn around to see several scorpions and Splinter laughs at it, the turtles backing away to behind the recliner chair.

"Plan one didn't work," Raph has his fist to his chin in thought. "New plan. Alright, listen up," He starts drawing a plan with paper and crayons. "We need ten chickens, a gallon of rubber cement, and-"

"Leon's got it," Leo holds up the watch in his hand.

"How'd you get it?" Raph wonders.

"You know he always passes out after milk and cake," Leo reminds them, gesturing a thumb to the chair. They look down at their master to see him definitely asleep.

* * *

They've returned to the construction site, where Raph stands in front of the wall.

"A few hours ago, I would've called this foolish and impossible. Now I just call it foolish," Donnie states to his two brothers.

"Say what you want, Donnie. Raph'll pull it off, cause if he doesn't, we'll lose our best friend forever," Mikey points out, Raph starting to look doubtful. "And Amy too! Even though she hates us."

Raph thinks to himself as two lives hang in the balance.

"Mikey, don't say that," Leo warns, "You know he chokes under pressure."

Raph starts to freak out as his eyes widen. "Leo, he's even more self-conscious when you talk about it," Donnie tells him as the oldest starts to sweat. "And then you can smell his fear."

"Stop talking about my fear stink!" Raph turns to them and they stare. He holds out the watch to the wall, but it doesn't do anything. He narrows his eyes and holds it out again, struggling to make something happen. He punches the wall and still nothing. His brothers are starting to get impatient, glancing at each other. Raph pants before throwing the device. "Stupid wall!" It ricochets back and hits him in the face, Mikey catching it.

"How about we let the artist of the crew take a poke at it?"

"I say give him a shot. I mean, he can't do any worse, respectfully," Leo agrees, nodding his head.

"Hey," Raph holds up a finger in protest before letting it drop. Mikey concentrates and the symbol on the watch glows. Mikey looks in shock before he draws the symbol exactly how he saw it. The portal opens up.

"You beautiful fools! It worked!" Donnie says in triumph.

"All I had to do was believe in myself," Raph stands up, looming over his brothers.

"Okay," Leo chuckles at the thought he actually did anything. "Uh, what do we do now?"

Raph glances at them before he jumps right in. "Cannonball"

"Cannonball!" The others shout, following after him. They're jerked around in a tunnel before Raph lands first. The only one who doesn't crash is Leo.

"Land safely," He tries to steady himself before he gasps at a thriving city of mutants. "Whoa!"

"I can smell Raph's amazement stink," Donnie murmurs, as they haven't seen anything like it before. It looked so...different from their city with the mutants floating or walking around and not even noticing them. If they did, they probably wouldn't care.

"What?"

"Whoa."

"This is crazy."

"Exactly what I expected."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Psst!" They hear a familiar voice and turn around to see one of the girls. "Hey, guys, over here."

"April!" Mikey's eyes shine in relief and they look happy to see her. She runs up to him and hug her and Raph hugs all of them.

"Donnie, where are we?" Raph wonders, looking around.

"According to my calculations, we are in a tertiary meta-verse," Donnie looks at his wrist computer.

"Actually, I've been exploring, and we're in a mystic hidden city deep under New York!" April explains, and she's right as they look up at a sewer grate that shows their city.

"That was my second guess," Donnie comments.

"So where's the dog thingy and princess?" Leo wonders.

"They're in there," April looks at a building right in front of her. When they get inside, they see a lair with various devices.

"Oh, look at the color scheme."

"Oh, I'd love to do my lab in this style," Donnie looks around in awe.

"Hey, there's the little guy," Raph says as they're looking over the lair. There are three glowing pods. The first one has the dog thingy, the second Amy, and the third one holds the delivery man. "Amy and the delivery guy too!"

The dog mutant is trying to teleport out to no avail. Amy has her arms crossed as her back faces the front of the pod. She leans against it.

"We gotta help them out!" Raph stands up, but April stops him.

"Someone's coming!" The door opens in front of the pods and the dog thingy immediately stops trying to escape. The tall mutant in front of them has turquoise skin with purple hair, pale orange eyes with purple sclera, two horns on the side of his head, and two claws on each foot. Amy doesn't turn around at his presence.

"If you're the guy who keeps calling about the calamari, fine," the delivery guy starts, "It's pig butts! But the crab cakes are real."

Amy rolls her eyes. "And to think I bumped into you to know that."

"I assure you, I have no interest in your...petty cakes of crab," he says, his two minions on his shoulders getting off and frightening the delivery boy.

"But we would love to hear more about those pig butts," one of them replies, the other one laughing as the delivery boy recoils back in shock and fear.

He then sees Amy, who hasn't turned around. "Amelia. How is your mother?"

"Getting away from you, Baron," she replies in a snarky way.

"Oh, but we both know that's not true, is it?" He leans forward towards her pod. "Because she wouldn't even remember me. And she'll never remember her own daughter."

"You don't know jack," Amy narrows her eyes, the turtles turning to each other in confusion.

"What does he mean by that?" Mikey asks in confusion. " 'Never remembering her own daughter?' "

He bends down to the dog thingy's cell, who runs away. He phases his hand through the prison. "So nice of you to return my vial," He steals the bottle from the dog thingy and walks up to the delivery man. "You're both about to be part of an experiment that will change the very nature of humanity."

"Alright!" The delivery boy cheers, the turtles and April glancing at each other at his enthusiasm. Amy looks at the boy in disbelief. He operates his machine and opens the vial, dumping it all into a slot. He looks at the ooze as it travels up to the top.

"This dude looks like trouble," April whispers.

"Yeah, and if I've learned anything from 'Jupiter Jim' movies," Raph eyes the machine. "Glowing green usually equals bad." The mosquitoes inside the machine drink from the liquid, which fills their bodies. The tall mutant takes one and the pod's vines trap the boy.

"So is this gonna hurt?"

"It will...if I'm doing it right," He lets the mosquito sting the boy and Amy glances to her right. A red mark is left on the boy's forehead.

"Hey, that wasn't so-" His eyes bug out as the mutagen starts to take effect. "Oh, ow. Okay, this part hurts." His arms extend further and so does his neck. "This part hurts." Amy looks away, cringing. "Ah, that hurts!"

The five could only look in horror. "What's happening to him?" Raph asks.

"That is messed up," April cringes and he's turned into a mutant fish that has no fingers at all. He flings his body around, the six cringing at his appearance.

"Yeah, jury's in. That was imitation crab," Donnie confirms, the others glaring at him.

"I just got used to acne. Now this?" The fish mutant screams and runs off into the hidden city.

"Should we go after him, boss?" One of the minions asks.

"The mutation worked, just like it did all those years ago," The tall mutant murmurs to himself, Amy glancing at an eye at him in confusion.

"Mutation?" Raph wonders, "Just like us? Could we be-"

"Part imitation crab?" Mikey interrupts, to Leo and April's disbelief and Raph's embarrassment. Donnie just laughs before raising an eyebrow.

"You are not kidding, are you?"

"I'll deal with you two next," he walks past the dog thingy and Amy, who huffs and turns back around.

"Not like you haven't done enough already to my family," she mutters under her breath.

"We can't let that sheep-horned weirdo do anything to that dog and Amy!" April declares.

"We have to save her," Leo narrows his eyes in determination, which results in everyone else giving him looks. "Oh, and the dog thingy too. But except for Donnie, we're out of weapons."

"Note to you: Next time, make your weapons out of high-grade titanium," Donnie points out.

"Guys!" Raph stops the conversation, standing up. "Who needs weapons? We're ninjas! Leo's got his mad skills, nobody flips better than Mikey, Donnie's got that big old brain, and I got, uh-" April bumps into him.

"A friend who knows where there's a room full of weapons!" She points up in the air with a golf club that she somehow got just now.

"Oh thank goodness, we were so dead," Leo whispers in relief to his two brothers.

* * *

April pulls a lever and a hatch opens up. They fall down a tunnel and land in a room, April landing safely. They look in awe at the room.

"It's like magic and science had a baby!" Donnie exclaims in amazement. Leo takes two swords that are very similar to the ones he lost earlier that night. Which is weird, but no one questions it.

"Oh yeah!"

"These'll do," Mikey spins a pair of nunchucks, and again, no one questions why the mutant has weapons like theirs.

"Hey, yo, guys," Raph calls out with a smile. "How about we take the glowy ones," He points to five glowing weapons that are only told apart by their color. It was as if those weapons were...made for them. Leo and Mikey's eyes shine and they run up to the display.

"Whoa, dibs on the sword!" Leo jumps up and grabs the odachi sword. "Oh boy!"

Mikey takes the kusari-fundo. "Hot soup!"

"Boom!" Raph has the tonfas. The purple and pink colored weapons are the only ones that aren't being used. The purple one has an axe blade along with a mace on the bottom. The pink one is a byakko, a Japanese spear with two horns sticking out from the blade.

"What about you, Donnie?" April holds out the axe. "Don't you want a glowy weapon?"

"No, I'm good," Donnie tells her, caressing his creation. "I'll never let you go..." He snatches a purple crystal. "This looks interesting, though."

"Might as well take this one for my lady," Leo snatches the byakko. "Who knows, she might actually like it...out of anything else she's seen. Oh, yeah!" He holds his sword in the air as it glints.

"Let's go save Amy and that dog thingy!" Raph declares.

* * *

The minions are teasing the dog thingy and Amy. One of them pokes a stick at the dog mutant while the other messes with Amy's curly ends. She smacks him away without even looking.

"Finally, after all these years, I can continue my work," he looks at an oozesquito before he hears something. He looks up to see the turtles and April landing on each other. The dog mutant looks happy to see them while Amy doesn't look at them at all.

"What?"

"Alright," They separate to take on poses. "You incredibly unusually buff bookworm, give us the little guy and Amy, and you'll walk out of here with your horns still attached," Raph threatens.

"Shouldn't we also stop him from creating crab-men?" Leo points out.

"Good note. Okay, give us Amy and the little guy, stop creating crab-men-"

"Imitation crab-men," Donnie corrects him and April gives an exasperated sigh. Amy looks like she doesn't want or need to be saved.

"Okay, good note. Stop imitating crab-men."

"And a ride home, and a limo with a hot tub and pizza!" Mikey lists and while they're talking, he's just staring at them, sparkles in his eyes.

"You're...beautiful," He gets tears in his eyes.

"Raph, why don't you take it from the top again?" Leo suggests as he sits there, April looking bored.

"Here goes. First, you apologize to Amy and the dog thingy-"

April's had enough as she jumps into action. "Let's do this! April...O'Neil!"

The other turtles shout in panic. "Oh my gosh. She just ran in."

April lands on the pods, trying to break the vines with her teeth. The minions grab her and lift her in the air. She's left struggling with them while the mutant pulls out a purple crystal and throws it, causing purple vines to form. The four turtles jump on, sliding or running down it.

"I hate this! I hate this!" Leo stumbles to run, but ultimately hangs on. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!"

The mutant throws three purple orbs and a large mutant forms from the ground. It has a ruby eye.

"Whoa!"

"Dudes!"

"Seriously?"

"Ah, it looked at me!" The giant mutant grabs the vines and pulls them out, causing them to fly in the air. The mutant roars at them while April continues fighting the minions not too far away.

"Capture those specimens!" The tall mutant points at them.

"Cowabunga!" Raph shouts as they step into action. Leo stands up and grabs his sword, running forward with his brothers. The mutant punches the ground and they dodge them. Leo slices a leg off, causing the mutant to kneel.

"Ha! How was that for impressive, my pink-a-boo?" Leo looks towards the pod. Amy rolls her eyes, but smiles a little at his move. Leo throws the spear towards Amy, which lands on the pod. Amy looks up at it. The mutant roars and lifts his fist, pulling out concrete from the ground. Raph and Mikey run towards him, jumping onto the rocks. Mikey spins his weapon, catching Raph and throwing him towards the mutant.

"Hot soup!" He crashes right into the mutant, who punches him into the ground. Donnie lands, his bike forming on his shell. He flies into the air and spins his staff, which transforms into the rockets again. They get out of control again just like last time.

"No, no, no," It flies right out of his hands. "No, no, no, no. Look out, guys!"

It passes by the others before crashing onto the mutant's face. It spins around, taking the mutant with it and causing a crash. Amy hears something and covers herself as the rockets break through her cage.

"Nailed it!" Donnie gets his bo staff back, taking a selfie.

"Accidentally impressive," the mutant eyes them. "With a little bit of training, you could be as formidable as I'd hoped."

Leo coughs from the smoke, Mikey and Raph looking exhausted. Donnie is doing something on his phone. Probably looking at his selfie.

"It's okay," April calls out as she hasn't managed to get rid of the minions yet. "I got this!"

Leo clears his throat, standing up. "Okay, well, great, and since you're surrendering."

He laughs at the thought. "Baron Draxum does not surrender."

"Okay, well, when he gets here, we'll deal with him. Oh, ho, ho, I see. You're doing that whole 'sinister talking in the third person' thing," Leo realizes, Amy coughing as she steps up to them. "Oh, you finally joined the party!"

Raph flips out of his stupor. "Only Raph can use the third person! Alright guys, time to put our training to use," He leaps into action.

"What training? You guys have been training?" Leo wonders as the others jump up. Baron Draxum makes his arms larger and purple. They attack with their weapons, but he maneuvers through all of their attacks.

"Cowabunga!" Mikey slams the end of his weapon onto Baron's head. He slams down his fists, causing a crash that knocks them away.

"And that's why Baron Draxum-" One of the minions lands on his head.

"I'm sorry, boss," He falls onto the ground. April lands on him, attacking him and his friend. She looks up at the turtles and Amy, giving them a thumbs up. They return them eagerly. Baron thrusts something at April, causing her to get trapped in a cocoon.

"April!" Raph exclaims.

"You did not just do that to our friend!" Mikey declares, throwing his weapon and it flies past Baron. He looks behind him and Mikey's weapon starts to turn into fire. "Whoa," everyone else looks at him with their mouths wide open. "Magic weaPON!" He gets flown around uncontrollably, flying around the source of Baron's machine. It starts to spark and one of them hits Amy, causing her to be slightly electrocuted. Her eyes widen as her hair and clothes are covered in soot.

"Whoa, I don't like brunettes well done," Leo glances at her. "Or maybe I do."

She just blinks, trying to process what just happened. Baron jumps into the air and Mikey lands on the ground, turning to the others.

"Mikey that was awesome!" Raph exclaims, the others with sparkles in their eyes. "How'd you do that?"

"I don't know, man." He spins around to demonstrate. "I was just swinging my weapon, like this, and all of a sudden." It fires up again like last time. "Just like thaaaaaat!" He's whisked away once more.

"Let me try. Magic weapon, magic weapon, magic weapon, magic weapon-" His tonfas spark and he smiles. "Aw yeah! Magic weapon!" There's suddenly an explosion and it knocks him into the wall. "Mine works too."

"Can't wait to find out what mine does!" Leo shouts as he dashes forward, his sword glowing and sparking. Baron prepares himself as Leo swings, but nothing happens as only a bit of electricity appears on Baron's arms. Leo sweats nervously, as that wasn't his intention. Suddenly, a portal opens up underneath him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" He scrambles around before he disappears, reappearing in a portal above. He falls through it in a seemingly infinite loop.

"Get. Me. Off. this. Ride!" He shouts, Amy snickering at him. She and Donnie appear next to Baron.

"That's why I like fighting the old-fashioned way: with impossibly futuristic high-tech weaponry," Donnie and Amy face him head on. They seem to be doing well, better than the others. Donnie's bo turns into a giant fist while Amy's byakko turns into a wrist launcher and attaches to her arm. Unlike the other three turtles, she doesn't seem fazed by it at all. It's as if she's familiar with this type of weapon. Baron launches forward, but Donnie and Amy knock him back with their respective blasts.

"Just like I planned it!" The two jump into the air.

"Look out!" Mikey warns before he bumps into them. Donnie gets caught into Mikey's string while Amy rolls onto the ground. Baron rubs his chin as he stands up.

"You fight like untrained buffoons, but under me, you could become true warriors," He traps them like he did with April. Mikey and Donnie are stuck together due to Mikey's weapon. Mikey snuggles Donnie on the cheek.

"We don't spend enough quality time together." He makes kissy noises.

"Oh, please not now, Mikey."

"How are we gonna save the dog thingy now?" April asks.

"Donnie's on it," He manages to slip on his goggles on, but the machine starts to overheat. "Wait a second!"

"Turtles, Amelia, why are you trying to stop my plans? We are all in this together!" Baron says it as if he knows them.

"Ah, hey, I don't know if this is part of your plan, but the lab's about to explode," Donnie points out and they all freak out as the core blows up.

"Aw nuts." A large rock lands on Baron and all of the oozesquitoes get out. A pipe lands on the dog thingy's cage, setting him free. He teleports onto April's lap.

"Little guy! Can you do your thing and get us out of here?" April asks him and he chitters, teleporting them out of there. They appear right in front of a wall and Amy hops onto her motorcycle. Mikey draws the symbol as quickly as he can, allowing the portal to be open. Amy drives right into the portal, dragging the others with her before the whole lair explodes. They crash right outside the door, Amy riding up in front of them. She looks down at them.

"You okay? You know, as okay as you'll ever be?" Splinter's device slides to the ground...and then breaks.

"Oh no! Splinter's doohickey!" Mikey exclaims in horror.

"Man," April stands up before the dog mutant lands in her hands. "You okay, boy? Or girl?" She can't really tell the gender. "You sure were good through all that mayhem. Hey, Mayhem! That's a cute name."

"We just defeated a boss villain. We're heroes! We deserve a name like...Mad Dogs," They all stand in a heroic pose, looking up towards the sky. Amy looks around in confusion, wondering what they were looking at.

"Mad Dogs?" Leo asks, breaking out his pose. "You don't think something like Mutant Ninja Turtle Teens or...I don't know. We'll keep brainstorming."

"So...what are we gonna do about Ms. Grumpy here?" Mikey whispers, jerking a thumb at Amy.

"I heard that," She calls out as she gets off her bike. Amy walks up to them, crossing her arms. "Okay, maybe you guys aren't so bad after all. You did save my life and...maybe we could start over." She holds out a reluctant hand.

Leo shakes it first. "You've chosen the turtle express, which comes with a free delivery of my awesome charm. Thank you for your trust! Leo, but like I said before-"

"Yeah, I'm not calling you Leon. I still like wonder turtle," Amy interrupts his speech.

"Mikey's the name, and being the artist is my game," Mikey places an arm around her.

"Donnie at your service, and we're glad you don't hate us anymore," Donnie states, shaking her hand.

"Well, I still hate mutants in general, but you guys are okay," Amy shrugs and Raph claps her on the back.

"Welcome to the team! I'm Raphael," He jerks a thumb to himself.

"Oh, great..." Amy mutters in pain, rubbing her back.

"And I'm April O'Neil!" April shakes her hand. "The girl with the plan."

"Name's Amy Smith. Don't wear it out," Amy pats the ends of her hair.

"First things first on our new friendship!" Mikey exclaims, pointing to her byakko. "You gotta show us how to use our weapons!"

"A-And let me upgrade this bike!" Donnie touches her motorcycle. "It would be a waste NOT to do anything with it!"

"And how about you let me hang with you? Huh? Huh?" Leo wiggles his eyebrows.

"No. To all of those questions," Amy states sarcastically and the three sag. She sighs at their faces and relents. "Okay...maybe."

"Still counts as a yes," Leo pumps his fist.

"You're still a no."

Suddenly, sparks of electricity forms on her hand and they stare down at it in shock. Amy waves her hand around in confusion before it fades away.

"Whoa, so cool," Raph murmurs as she tries to make sense on what happened.

"How does that even happen? Electricity powers!" Donnie exclaims, pointing to her hand. An oozesquito flies past them before hundreds of them fly out from the portal and are released into the city. "That can't be good."

"We should go, people's blinds are starting to open," Leo suggests and Amy walks up to her bike.

"Need a ride?" She pats the seat.

"How are we all gonna fit on there?" April wonders.

"I call shotgun!" Leo runs up and sits right behind Amy. "By the way, if you need me to hold you, just ask."

"No thanks, wonder turtle. If anything, _you_ should hold onto your stomach. And we're off!" She speeds down the streets, hollering as the others cheer.


	2. Origami Tsunami

**Angel: Amy's not being bad-ass, she's just more private than the other incarnations. That's not being bad-ass XD I'm not trying to start anything with other characters that are like that, whoever they are. If I want her to be different like everything else is in this show, let her be different. Yeah, she's not gonna be all sweet and stubborn (okay, maybe not stubborn XD) like her previous incarnations, but she's still got some of her sweetness there somewhere...**

 **I'll update this episode when Donnie's Gifts is released Monday.**

In the lair, Splinter is watching TV like usual, with the projector displaying the show. He's smiling in joy as he's watching one of his favorite shows, 'Teriyaki Shakedown.' On the show, a car drives by an empty shop.

"Where's our free grub, noodle man?" One of the fine dressed men demands. Raph stands in front of the TV, imitating the noodle shop owner. "Okay, ha. How 'bout some hot soup?" He grabs Donnie and Mikey, throwing them over like the character does. They land in bowls of noodles, their faces covered in them. Splinter slurps up one of the noodles on his face.

"Everyone's a critic." Splinter pauses the show as Donnie and Mikey lift their heads.

"Man, Teriyaki Shakedown always gets me so..." Donnie inhales, "Jazzed!"

"Yeah, Lou Jitsu's the business!" Raph agrees, Splinter throwing the TV remote into his face. Mikey and Donnie give a look of confusion at his behavior.

"Then why do you insult the master with your poor technique?" Splinter demands, jumping up into the air and flipping the other two to the ground. "Do not worry. Someday you will be great ninjas with a little practice...is something I would say if I were a liar," He thinks to himself, stroking his beard.

"That's nice of you to say, Pop, but I'm tired of practicing," Mikey states.

"Yeah! We can be heroes like Lou Jitsu!" Raph declares, thinking about taking down bad guys like the cartoon character. Splinter just laughs, walking away.

"Nice try." While he didn't doubt their skills, he didn't think they could be heroes just yet. It would take a while.

A long while.

"We got the squillz, we got the tight color-coordinated team look," Mikey starts.

"Let's do it!" Raph bumps fists with his brother. "Let's go out and bust some bad guys."

Donnie stands up, rubbing his temple. "Yeah. I just feel like, you know, we need a case to get the juices flowing a little bit. You know, let's see what the internet has to say about it, shall we?" Donnie searches up recent cases on his tablet. Leo appears behind the chair, sagging down it.

"Yo Leo, we're gonna be heroes!" Mikey cheers, but Leo seems to be preoccupied with his phone.

"Okay, what's the plan? Solve the city's rat problem?" Leo asks, only to be hit in the face with Splinter's tail.

"I am standing right here," He points to the ground as Leo rubs his head.

"Pfft. No way. Wait...are you trying to call Amy?" Raph teases, Mikey and Donnie making kissy noises.

"No! What, no!" Leo scoffs, "Why, is it obvious?"

"Dude, she doesn't like you," Donnie states the elephant in the room as Leo presses in the numbers.

"She does, we just...got off on the wrong start. My lady will learn to like me," Leo hears the phone ring, waiting.

Amy is busy answering phones inside a building. A hat covers part of her head. Her hair is in a low ponytail with her bangs out and a few loose strands. The ponytail is tied with a big pink bow. She wears light pink boots with strawberry ribbons, a pink strawberry shortcake ribbon on her hat to match the stripes of her sleeve cuffs, and a pink knotted bow on her chest. She wears a pink sleeved dress that stops at her knees decorated with cupcakes under a white apron, which is tied with a pink bow and has a pocket in the front. "Smith's Sweets, please hold. Smith's Sweets, please hold. Smith's Sweets-"

"Heeey!" Leo exclaims as soon as she answers, the others shaking their heads. "So, pink-a-boo, what you doing?"

"Painting the world black, what do you think I'm doing? I'm working! What the heck are you doing on the bakery's line?" Amy looks annoyed as she rests her elbow on the counter. (A/N: See what I did there about Amy still having her 'sweetness?' Eh? Eh? ...Let me stop)

"I'd visit, but then when you see me...you wouldn't be able to resist me," Leo says smoothly. "And besides, you didn't give me your number."

"Doubtful. What am I doing, an interview? Hang up the phone, I have customers on the line!" She starts to get angry. He knew she couldn't hang up because someone else was on hold, and the phone was broken. So therefore if she hangs up once, she's hanging up on the customers.

"Actually yeah, maybe we are doing an interview. So pink-a-boo, tell me what you're baking today, got anything ready for me?" Leo shines his shell with his hand.

"What are you talking about, get off the phone, you idiot!"

"No, first you tell me about that pastry over dinner, say maybe 8 tonight?" He asks smugly.

"Oh you're so dead!" She narrows her eyes. She wouldn't tell anyone about her new creation and she wasn't going to tell him anything. Especially since his pick-up lines were so dumb. Not that she was falling for them. She wasn't...what perplexes her is why she's so fast to deny it.

"Is that the title of your debut?" He wonders, the turtles snickering at Amy's frustration. She growls, clenching her fist.

"Yeah, I've been working on something and it's really great. Now hang up!" She says quickly, writing down her recent orders for the morning.

"No, that's not good enough. We want details," Leo snickers at the others, who back away from him. One thing they learned about Amy, they did NOT need to make her mad.

"I'm gonna slit your markings off in your sleep!" Amy threatens before she takes a deep breath. "Well, uh, when you're working by yourself in a popular bakery, uh, you just gotta keep up, you know? I mean, I'm doing this all by myself, and I can't reveal anything since that would spoil the new item. You gotta, uh, manage your time without stressing yourself out because you know, that's just a game you're not gonna win."

"What would it be like if I took you out tonight?" Leo closes his eyes with a smug smile. "You know, since you're all alone without me. Do you need someone? Are you lonely tonight?"

"You're just a mutant who thinks he's gonna get lucky!" Amy exclaims in slight anger. "So no, I don't need anyone!"

"That doesn't sound like an interview answer. Say something nice about me and I'll hang up."

"I..." Amy squeezes her eyes shut as she pinches her nose. "Envy your...rad skills and charms..." She pinches her nose, as it took her SO much effort to say that.

Leo laughs at the strained compliment. "Thank you. Hey listen, can you hang with me tonight on the rooftops? Meet me there in a few hours."

"What?" Amy asks in confusion as he's still on the phone.

"Great, see you there!"

"But I never said ye-"

Leo hangs up with a grin, turning to the others. They just stare at him in disbelief. "She's totally into me."

While they believed he could be good friends with her, they were a little skeptical about her returning his feelings for her...or supposed feelings, anyway.

"Right...we're crime fighters!" Raph changes the subject.

"Okay, check this out," Donnie shows the article he pulled from a website. "The Spine Breaking Bandit!"

Raph chuckles at the thought. "Yeah. Go big or go home!"

"Yeah," Leo pushes Mikey away. "Go home on a stretcher. I can't let my pink-a-boo see me like that! What else you got?"

"Uh," Donnie swipes right, "Okay, here's something: The Long Island Mangler!"

"Okay Donnie," Leo places his hands on the tablet. "I appreciate you giving your best effort, but maybe we should save mangling and spine breaking for, I don't know, our second day?" They just stare at him and Donnie swipes again.

"Alright, well, this one's kind of lame: someone stole paper from a delivery truck," Donnie explains, finding the whole thing ridiculous. Why would someone need paper? Leo snatches the tablet.

"Not on my watch! That's exactly the kind of junior level mischief we can put an end to!" Leo says, as to him, it was perfect. And, if his princess heard about it, maybe she would see him differently. He didn't know what it was about her. It wasn't her looks, it was her attitude. He liked her refusing his advances because it's the first girl he knew that would do that. He liked the challenge of pursuing her. She was...interesting.

"Really? That'll make us heroes?" Raph asks skeptically. "But it's only paper."

Leo laughs, glancing at his brothers. "It's only paper. Donnie, what did he just say? Did he say it's only paper?"

"Yup."

"Did he say it's only paper?" Leo repeats.

"Yes he did," Donnie replies sharply, wanting his brother to get to the point.

"Okay! That's what they all say. You think the road to hero town is paved with real crime? No!" He points to them, suddenly feeling inspired. "It's paved with the tears of the poor paper man. And who helps that guy? I'll tell you who. We...are who."

"Yes!" The others cheer and they immediately take off into the night. They go rooftop jumping (or flying if you count Donnie). They peek over the edge of a building, Donnie putting on his googles as he scans the area.

"What kind of weirdo steals paper?" Raph wonders.

"A dreamer!" Mikey exclaims, "You look at a blank sheet and see nothing. They see possibilities-" Raph elbows him in the plastron, making him shush.

"There's only one store they haven't hit yet, and it is right over there. Oh, convenient," Donnie sees the store.

"How 'bout we go stealth and make 'em wish they stole toliet paper?" Raph suggests, making them laugh. They jump down the building as two beings with red foot symbols on their faces are stealing bundles of paper. Fire sprouts on their heads. Up above, Raph stops first, using his hands and feet to keep himself steady. Leo and Donnie are right above him. Mikey lands on him, making him fall and causing a crash. The two thieves look over and as soon as they see the turtles, they leap away, taking off into a run.

"You two go left. Mikey, go right," Raph orders, pointing in both directions. Donnie and Leo run left while Mikey jumps off Raph's shoulder. "I'll take the roof and swoop down like a boss!" He was hoping to trap them so they could catch them as he climbs the building right next to him. Leo and Donnie chase after the leaner, shorter one as he flips a trash can to try and distract them.

Mikey is dashing after the larger one and throws his weapon, which wraps around a fire extinguisher. He spins around, crashing right into Leo and Donnie.

"Where are they?"

"That is you, right?"

"Swoopin' like a boss!" Raph yells as he jumps off the rooftop, falling towards the pile.

"No, no, no!" Leo tries to warn him, but he crashes right into them. "Ow!"

The thieves get away in their van with a screech from the tires, leaving them embarrassed. "Uh, quick question: Did we seriously just get schooled by paper thieves?" Donnie asks in disbelief.

"I don't swoop like a boss. I swoop like a noob," Raph sags at his failed attempt to catch 'em.

"Man, this seemed like a really cool idea until we didn't succeed at it," Mikey laments, Leo standing up and moving his hand like he was breaking a record.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Where'd my brothers go?" He points the hilt of his sword at Mikey. "Mikey, where's your...legendary optimism?"

Mikey groans at him, not wanting to hear another speech. Leo turns to his older brother.

"Raph, where's your...you know, your go-getter attitude?" Leo shakes him slightly. He moves over to Donnie. "And Donnie, where's your...your thing, your emotionless passion?"

"Here," Donnie says quietly.

Leo stares at him for a few seconds before he sheathes his sword. "We can still catch these lame old paper crooks and be heroes!" He places his hands on his hips, looking on bravely before Donnie speaks up.

"Yeah, that's gonna be hard. This was the last paper store in town," He crosses his arms and Leo thinks to himself, smirking.

"Or was it?"

"Yeah, I-I literally just said that," Donnie stammers as Leo knows of one last place where there's paper.

* * *

They stand in front of Smith's Sweets, where Amy is making packages for her orders behind her counter. They're orders for tomorrow. The boxes she's putting the pastries in are medium-sized and pink, with the ribbons being white. The entrance has pink walls, with strawberries slightly outset from the walls, outlined in black. The windows are tinted white with the words in black cursive. Six of the windows (in pairs) have a chocolate brown design, each depicting a chocolate cake, a cupcake, and a creampuff as the logo. In the center of these two pairs is a bay window, outlined in blue. Above each arch is a small circular clear window. The double doors are similarly styled to the outside walls, with the same black window, black lettering, and black outline. Above the windows and doors is a black overlap with ridges, white lettering, and a black background. "Amy's bakery? That's not a paper store, bro. That's heavenly goodness for the people on this world," Mikey points out.

"No, but she uses paper for her flyers," Leo gestures to the window, where there are colorful flyers describing various items. "So if the thieves are gonna steal paper from her, we can catch 'em!"

"But she's working," Donnie points to the girl as she tries a big white bow onto the top and puts it on the floor. "And quite hard, if I might add."

"Well, she said she's all alone, right? What if we're not here and she gets robbed anyway?" Leo argues, the others shaking his head.

"Well, it's our best shot," Raph shrugs, walking inside and seeing the high ceilings. To the right is a collection of glass display cabinets, showing wedding cakes, macarons, birthday cakes, and more. On top of the displays are baskets of baked bread, ready to sell. The floors are ornately styled, with repeated designs of roses and donuts. The walls are wallpaper of peonies near the entrance and chocolate chips farther back. To the left are tables that have a vase of flowers on each one. Leo notices that the flowers are pink stargazer lilies and that there are more of those rather than the other flowers they've seen. He notes that those could be her favorite flowers if there was so much of them in one place. A little farther down is the counter with the register, which has a display case in front of the register full of pastries. Little hangings of pastries hang from the ceiling in gold, and there is an oven behind the counter. Near the end of the counter to Amy's right is a door, which holds supplies such as flour or tools. Behind her is the menu, which takes up the top half of the wall. The items are written in chalk, as it's a chalkboard. On the counter are pamphlets about catering and right next to it is a tablet, where it displays the brunette with various masterpieces on a slideshow at events, like weddings or birthdays. At the entrance, there are two built-in couches on both sides. Amy doesn't turn around as she hears the bell ding.

"We're closed, come back tomorrow," She calls out over her shoulder.

"Aww," Her eyes widen as she turns around to see them. "So you are all alone. That's so sad!" Mikey hugs her and she struggles.

"No, no, what are you doing? What is this, it's weird," She panics slightly, looking down at him.

"Aww," The other turtles hug her and she pats their backs awkwardly, as she doesn't get...hugs, is that what they call it? She slowly pushes them away.

"Don't...do that," She warns before turning off the tablet. "And why are you here? I'm preparing for tomorrow."

"It's a long story," Raph explains, shrugging.

"Uh, not really. We're going after paper thieves and thought our pink-a-boo needed some security," Leo pumps his biceps and she pushes them away from her eyesight. "By the way, you look adorable. Is that outfit just for me?" He takes a selfie with her and she pushes him off her.

"Paper thieves?" She snorts as she shakes her head. "Well, they're not getting any paper from me. I need these to promote my bakery and I am NOT letting them rob me!"

"...Your bakery?" Mikey tilts his head at her in confusion.

"Yes. Why?" She raises an eyebrow at them skeptically.

"You mentioned on the phone that you were all alone doing all this work by yourself. Don't you have, I don't know, a pastry chef, or employees to run the place?" Leo waves his hand around.

"After some...unforeseen circumstances, I had to take over. My mother...is too sick to run it. The employees were fed up after a few months and they all quit. I've been running it since then. This place...it's been in my family for 3 generations," She bends down behind the counter as she ties up the packages with a pink bow and the logo stamped on.

"Does she have a really long cold or a peg leg or-"

"No!" Amy exclaims in disbelief. "That makes no sense! She's just...really sick." She sighs as she leans against the counter. "So how does this work? Is this a stake-out or something?"

"Well, I guess we just wait for something to happen," Raph shrugs as Mikey peeks inside one of the packages.

"Don't touch those," Amy calls out before she turns around. "What the-where'd all my papers go?!"

"Huh?!" They turn to the storage room to see all of the paper gone. They run out into the alley to see the van getting away.

"Oh, seriously?" Donnie asks in disbelief.

"Ugh," Amy clenches her fists. "Unbelievable!"

"Okay, maybe we need a different approach," Leo suggests as they stare down the road.

* * *

The five stand with lots of tape, scissors, a ruler, a paintbrush, and strangely, a large piece of salami. Donnie pulls out the tape and Mikey hooks up the lights. Leo and Amy cut up salami, with Raph holding the salami for Leo. Amy just throws some into the air and cuts it into circles. They stack them up together to make them into columns. Mikey puts on a for sale sign on one and does the same to a stand that only said paper on it. Raph and Leo put up an entrance made up of cardboard that reads 'Leo's Paper Hut', high threeing each other. They've put the entrance in front of an alley. Mikey clasps his hands as he looks at it.

"It's...beautiful."

Donnie places the sign outside, sneaking back inside. "Do you really think that this is going to hook the thieves?" He wonders, jerking a thumb at the paper.

"They will if they're that stupid according to wonder turtle's dumb plan," Amy glances at Leo as she's typing up salami. She's back in her regular clothes. Raph is standing on the other side, touching the salami paper.

"I'll take that as a compliment, my lady," Leo says, unfazed by what she said.

"The only paper we have is made from salami which is round. Paper is not round," Donnie points out.

"Yes, it'll work," Leo sighs at Donnie's doubt before turning to the leader. "Raph, stop eating the plan!"

Raph stops with a grunt, but is still chewing the salami. "Why couldn't Amy just bake some square cakes, that would've worked," Donnie argues.

"Because I don't have enough flour," Amy glances at him. "And I need double yolk eggs, or else they would taste like sawdust."

April walks up to 'Leo's Paper Hut,' holding a newspaper that has several jobs listed. She takes a deep breath. "Okay." She opens the door, waving. "Hi, I'm here for the job interview-aw, no." Mikey waves to her. "Man! I thought it was weird to have a job interview at midnight." Her glasses are on the top of her head, like Amy's sunglasses as she approaches Mikey.

"Ah, Miss...O'Neil," Mikey is wearing goofy glasses with a nose and mustache behind a makeshift counter. A vehicle approaches the 'store.' "Customers!" Mikey gasps, hiding behind the counter. April shields herself from the light, having no idea of what's going on. The others hide and Mikey suddenly appears behind her.

"April, you're hired! Just follow the sales script and remember the customer is always right unless they're a psychotic paper thief!" He hands her flash cards.

"Uh, okay," April answers in confusion.

"We'll be in the back," Mikey hides underneath a box with the others that reads Security.

"It's too crowded in here," Amy tries to move.

"Couldn't we just have a bigger box?" Leo wonders, Amy turning to him.

"We can't stay in this box together forever," Amy reminds him and Leo wiggles his eyebrows, giving her a flirty grin. Amy gives a shocked sound before facepalming, the others shaking their heads.

"Welcome to Leo's Paper Hut," April recites. "Can I interest you in-" One of them grabs her and then it's muffling.

"What is mmmm-mm? She's supposed to say...paper!" Mikey looks at his script and Raph breaks the box open.

"Get outta the way!" He looks around to see no April along with the paper. The store has been torn apart, leaving nothing.

"April!" Donnie looks up to see April tied up.

"The salami paper! It's gone!" Mikey exclaims as all of the salami paper were it once was has disappeared.

Leo runs up to the entrance to see the van getting away. "No way!" He kicks the sign in frustration, the entrance falling down. April falls to the ground.

"Ow."

"This was supposed to be easy!" Leo laments, "How do we keep losing these clowns?"

Mikey and Raph look dismayed as Donnie puts a hand on his shell. "Leo, do you really think I would have let you make salami paper without putting a tracer in it?" Donnie presses a button from his wrist and the tracker beeps...in Raph's stomach.

"Please tell me that wasn't the only one," Amy closes her eyes while the others stare at Raph.

"It's okay, I put two," Donnie activates the other one.

"Oh thank god, someone in this team has sense," Amy drags a hand down her face.

* * *

The paper in the back starts to beep from the van, which drives all the way out to the docks. The turtles and Amy are already there, watching them as Leo has binoculars.

"Okay guys, this is our moment. They may have given us the slip before-"

"Twice before!" Mikey reminds them to Leo's annoyance.

"Thank you, Mikey. Twice before, but now we've got them cornered and there's nothing that can stop us." They're loading the paper onto a boat. They sneak inside, Raph rolling inside and crashing at the wall. Leo backflips inside and Raph rolls roughly onto the ground, making the others snicker. They see an entrance in front of them that has a purple glow. They peek inside to see all of the paper stacked up, along with the two thieves. Leo jumps down first and the others follow. "Okay, twerp and-" They turn around, revealing their faces. "Surprisingly big man. It's five against two, so what say we just call it a day, right?"

"Whoa! They've got footprints on their faces!" Mikey exclaims, pointing to them.

"Uh, are those flames on their heads?" Raph wonders.

"Feels like a real hazard for a paper thief," Donnie murmurs with a small smile.

"You! I'm gonna grind your bones with my fists," The taller one punches his hands together.

"Ooh, that's inspired," The leaner one says in amazement before turning back to the group. "We're both gonna grind your bones."

"Oh yeah? Well, we have our friend who's got some sweet powers!" Mikey gestures to Amy, who looks nervous.

"I would beg to differ, I don't know...how to really control them," She rubs the back of her neck, feeling awkward.

"Of course you don't," Donnie sighs to himself.

"Right," Raph disregards the conversation between the three. "Listen, bubs. Before we put _our_ footprints on your faces, we gotta ask: What's with all the paper?"

The leaner and smaller one simply holds up a piece of paper, folding it into an origami man. They look utterly confused as Mikey exclaims, "Yay, arts and crafts!" The paper is thrown before it turns into an actual origami soldier.

"Whoa!" The five exclaim, moving out of the way of his path as he's coming right at them. Raph is punched to the wall, which leaves a big hole, and Donnie gives a nervous look at his strength.

"Uh, hey, maybe we should fight now and register our amazement later?" He suggests, Leo doing just that as he charges into battle. Amy looks at him, slightly impressed by his inspiration. When he hits the soldier, he disintegrates into tiny little pieces of paper, to his confusion. One of them lands on Raph and they register the fact of what they're being touched with. They give sounds of disgust, waving around and trying to get it off.

"Wait a minute," They examine it further. "It's just confetti," Leo confirms to Amy's relief.

"Huh. Oh yeah."

"Paper viscera."

More origami soldiers are made, running towards them. Raph dashes into action, jumping up and getting rid of one. He grabs a pole and swings, kicking into another one. Two more chase after him, but Mikey gets rid of one, standing on the catwalk. He had swung his weapon at it. A soldier grabs his weapon string and pulls it, causing Mikey to fall off. He lands on the ground as two soldiers are running up to him. He throws his weapon into the air, latching it onto a pipe. He swings around, getting rid of them. Leo swings back and forth on the catwalk, jumping and landing on a pile of paper. Amy is surrounded by two soldiers and her weapon turns into two laser guns. She fires at them rapidly, laughing in delight, though it slightly scared the others.

"We're getting nowhere fighting these guys," Leo calls out. "We gotta take out the source." He leaps towards the larger one, blocking weapons with him. He lands a few feet away and their weapons clash before Leo's is out of his hands. "Okay," He chuckles, "You think you're pretty good, huh?"

"Indeed," He replies and Leo goes in for the kick before the larger one grabs his leg and kicks him into the pile of newspapers.

"You are good," Leo groans.

"Leo!" Amy exclaims, running up to the foot-faced men. She slides underneath them and electricity flows through her feet, shocking them slightly. Amy kneels in front of Leo, unaware of what she did.

A tornado of paper surrounds the two, which flies over to the other turtles. Raph destroys a soldier before he notices the danger. "What?"

All of the paper transforms into a giant monster. They all give a look of shock and confusion. The monster is reaching his arm towards Amy and she gasps as she turns around. Leo lifts up his head before gasping. Amy was in danger, he had to do something to save his lady! He picks up Amy in his arms and throws her out of the way in one swift motion before he gets grabbed in its grasp. It starts to squish him in its hand as Amy slides to a stop on the ground.

"Leo!" Raph exclaims and Amy lifts her head, not knowing what to think.

"No!" She shouts in worry as she sees Leo's predicament.

 _He...saved me..._

Leo looks down at Amy, silently glad that she's safe. True, he might get squished, but as long as he's around, she wasn't going to be in any danger.

"Donnie, Amy, it's pinata time!" Raph declares and Amy pulls out her weapon. Donnie's turns into a hammer and the others follow them, planning on getting Leo free. The monster tries to punch them, but they're fast enough to dodge it. Amy slides slightly to avoid another one, electricity flowing through her legs.

"What is going on?" She mutters, looking down at herself. Mikey, Amy, and Donnie reach Leo after two more punches as he looks like he's about to be sick. The monster lifts its arms, the three dangling from its grip. It grabs them too, holding Amy with Leo. Raph looks at them, not knowing what to do as he's by himself now.

"Huh?" He looks at the slender man, who controls the monster. He punches his hands, making the monster slam the four against each other. Raph suddenly grows determined to rescue his brothers and friend.

"Hero town," He starts running. "Population, me!" He goes faster and yells, his body glowing red as he smashes into the two men. With his magic weapon, he punches the taller soldier, thrusts two glowing magic arms, and throws them into the wall. A manifestation of his body is around his silhouette. The two soldiers crash into the wall near the paper. Raph chuckles in amazement at what he just did, looking up at the monster. He screams before the monster goes down, dropping the four. When it falls, it bursts into pieces, blowing out of the ship's doors and windows. Well, most of it, anyway. The five surface from all the paper, Leo looking in confusion as the two thieves emerge from the pile. The bigger one is struggling to make another origami creature and Leo looks around, pointing up.

"Mikey, the sprinklers!"

"I'm on it!"

"Wait," Amy stops Mikey and closes her eyes, thrusting her arms. A wave of electricity fries all of the paper, crumbling it into bits and dousing the flames of the two soldiers.

"Whoa," The turtles say in awe.

"You may have shredded our plans for now. But next time, you will feel the fury of 1,000 feet!" The bigger man threatens.

"Ooh, you're on fire today!" His partner compliments, grabbing a salami paper and making a creature out of it.

"Ew! That's nightmare fuel, man," Mikey says in disgust as the creature's body parts are sagging. It disintegrates right in front of them, to their disgust or shock.

"Okay, salami origami doesn't work," Donnie deduces.

"Huh. Your stupid plan worked out after all, wonder turtle," Amy places a hand on Leo's shoulder. He turns to her and smiles smugly.

"Told ya, my pink-a-boo."

Amy rolls her eyes, but finds herself seeing him a little bit differently now...only a little. They both look down at Amy's hand and she removes it swiftly, looking away awkwardly.

Raph looks up and points. "Hey, look," He points to where the two once were. "They vanished."

"Then what are we looking at?" Donnie wonders and Raph looks at the salami again. Leo gives a sound of realization, knowing what he was gonna do.

"Oh. What is that? Don't do it."

"What?" Amy asks in confusion before he grabs one.

"No. No." Donnie protests.

"Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it."

"No! Raph, no!" Donnie warns as Raph dives his hand into it, a little bit of drool coming down his mouth.

"Oh my god," Amy covers her eyes, but still peeks. "Raph, if you do it."

"No!"

"Oh!" Leo exclaims, looking away.

"Look at me. No!" Donnie demands, but he takes a bite anyway to their disgust. Leo covers his mouth as he gags, trying not to throw up. "No!"

"Ugh! Gross!" Mikey yells.

"My god, how am I friends with you?" Amy rubs her temples, shaking her head.

"What? Five second rule!" Raph protests.

"So, does this count as a win?" Mikey wonders, wanting to change the subject.

"Oh I don't know," Leo crosses his arms smugly. "Let's think about it. Did the bad guys get their big supply of paper? Uh, no. Did they build their army of soldiers," He starts to laugh, Amy shaking her head. "No, no they didn't. Are they otherwise thwarted, and we unscathed?"

The others cheer to his question.

"Hero mission accomplished, my friends!" He announces, the boys tackling each other. Amy gets caught in the crossfire.

"No, no, no, stop!" She protests. "Cut it out!"

* * *

Amy is walking back to her apartment, the turtles escorting. "Oh wait," Leo glances at her smugly. "I forgot something else. My lady here referred to us as her friends!"

"Nooo," She waves it off. "I wouldn't consider you friends. More like...companions."

"Notice how that's another word for friend~" Mikey sings, Amy grunting.

"Whatever," She huffs as she continues walking.

"Come on, admit it. You did worry about me," Leo places an arm around her.

"That meant nothing, I can't worry about a friend's safety- _cripes_ ," She deadpans the last word, Leo laughing in triumph.

"There ya go," Donnie pats her back. "Now if only we could get you to make us free cakes."

"That would be awesome!" Raph cheers, pumping a fist.

"Aw yes! New best friend and free stuff!" Mikey says in excitement, placing an arm around her shoulder.

"Yeah..." Amy murmurs to herself as they're starting to be engulfed in shadow. "Friends." And this time, she meant it.

That didn't mean she was gonna bake free stuff, though.


	3. Donnie's Gifts

**Angel: Sorry for the delay in this episode, it took a while for it to be posted online. I had a website given to me by a user, but it was glitchy and I barely got 3 minutes in. So I just looked around and used a website I use regularly. And no, I didn't post Down with the Sickness if you looked at this chapter first. I decided to do each of the 11 minutes as their own chapter because some of the title names are too long to put into another episode with it.**

Amy is closing her shop as she's packing up her pre-paid orders. Her electricity reacts, shocking her slightly. She huffs in annoyance as she was still trying to control them. Someone comes in and she doesn't look up. "Shop's closed," She calls out like she's used to people barging in when the bakery is closed. Honestly, if she had a dollar every time someone came in wanting something, she'd be a billionaire, and yes, the turtles count.

The customer walks up to the display case and she groans slightly as she turns around. "I'm sorry, but I just said that-" She sees no one and gives a look of confusion as she glances around the shop. No one seemed to be there.

She hears someone clearing her throat and she looks down to see a short boy with brown hair, blue eyes, and looks pretty professional, like a businessman even though he looks like he's 10. He has freckles on his cheeks and Amy had to admit, it was a little adorable. Only a little.

"Erm, I want to help you, believe me, but-"

"Oh, I'm not here as a customer," The boy glances at the display case. "I'm here as an investor."

Amy raises an eyebrow as she places down the box she was holding. "Aren't you a little young to be an investor?" She grabs a bottle of water and takes a sip.

"My daddy owns a big company," He grins in delight. "You see...I want to buy your store."

The brunette chokes on her water at the revelation and stares at him in disbelief. "You want to what?!"

"Buy your store," The boy smiles wider. "My name is Brit Worley and I want your store. It has great potential...for being my arcade," He says the last four words under his breath.

"Heh..." Amy chuckles slightly, "And what makes you think I'll give you my shop just like that?"

"Because I asked," Brit smirks in amusement. _Ooo, this little...!_

"Listen here, ya snot-nosed brat," Amy bends down to him. "I'd-"

"Let me stop you right there," He holds out a hand in front of her and puts a briefcase onto the counter. Amy raises an eyebrow, wondering where he got the briefcase from out of a sudden, before the boy opens it up to reveal stacks of money. "I'm willing to compromise. I heard about your mother, tragic really. You could pay the most brilliant scientist to find a cure. So what do ya say? Do we have a deal?" He pushes the briefcase closer...and then hangs onto the counter with his hands.

Amy snorts in disbelief as she doesn't even need a second thought. "No."

"What?!" He exclaims in shock and anger.

"I'm. Never. Selling. This. Place," Amy makes it clear. The bakery had a lot of history, she couldn't give that up. She leans in with a smirk. "Got it, shorty?"

"Raaaaaaaaah!" He throws the briefcase onto the ground, stomping on it. Amy rolls her eyes at his tantrum. "Make my words, Amelia Smith, you'll rue the day you crossed me!" He stomps over to the door and opens it. He trips onto the sidewalk and then he turns to Amy, pointing two fingers between him and her. "RUE!" Amy shakes her head as he cowardly runs away to his limo. Obviously, she could care less.

"Spoiled little twerp," She mutters as she takes the briefcase and throws it into a furnace. Might as well make use of the thing.

She suddenly hears fighting noises and she opens the door. Looking around, she sees the turtles fighting mutant silverfish in the alley right next to her store.

"Okay mutant silverfish, you've eaten people's laundry for the last time!" Raph declares and Amy sees a giant mutant holding her laundry basket. She growls slightly and at the back of her mind, she was wondering how she didn't hear or notice any of this. Probably because she was dealing with that selfish little twit. Raph punches the mutant, but it doesn't damage it at all as the mutant divides into two. "What the?!" He tries again, but this time, they are four of them now. They start to gnaw at one of Amy's blouses.

"Hey!" She snatches it away.

"Hey Raph," Donnie flies to him with his hover bike on his shell. "Every time you smash them, they split in two."

"I know! Isn't it cool?" Raph asks in excitement.

"Think, Raph," Donnie tells him, "Think."

"Ohh...I guess it does double the problem," Raph says after a few seconds. "Which means double the smashing!" He smashes some more, only to create an army of silverfish. They immediately jump on him and he goes down as they attack him.

"You just multiplied the problem even more," The two turn around to see Amy with her arms crossed. "Hey."

"Hey Mellie," Raph waves to her.

"How's it going, Amy?" Donnie greets her and she looks down to see a mutant silverfish on her shoe.

"Better now that these things are trying to eat my clothes," She kicks the silverfish away and it lands in a dumpster.

"I got you, Raph," Mikey throws his chain, capturing the silverfish that were on top of Raph. "This situation calls for a dose of my psycho-acrobatics!" He lands against a fire escape and he slides down into a dumpster. Amy cringes at this epic fail.

"Annnnd down he goes." She says to Donnie as Mikey gets attacked by the silverfish inside. He then leaps out of it, yelping in pain as Mikey has to deal with them now.

"Oh boy," Donnie facepalms and Amy sees Leo grinning as he has one foot on a fire extinguisher.

"I got you, Mikey," He slices it off to spray the fish off Mikey, who gets slightly wet. He crawls away as the fish are now lying in a puddle of water. Leo lands in front of them, holding his sword near his shoulder.

"Looks like these fish are," He chuckles, "Wait for it, you're gonna love this. All washed up!"

"Boo!" Mikey calls out, him and Raph waving their hands in disapproval.

"Stop...just stop," Amy shakes her head and Leo yelps slightly as he notices her presence.

"No wait, I can definitely come up with something better," He states, wanting to make her laugh, "Okay, okay, okay, how about this? Those bugs are so wet-"

"Uh, Leo?" Donnie asks as the fish are starting to move. They leap towards Amy and she gasps, as she knows that if she uses her weapon, they would just multiply, so how was she gonna deal with them?!

Before she can even think, Leo pushes her away from the attack. They roll onto the ground and come to a stop, Leo hovering over her. Amy blinks up at him and he blinks once before grinning widely at how close they are. Amy huffs slightly and pushes his face to the left, only for him to get attacked with the mutant fish. They also attack the other two turtles and Amy stands up, walking over to Donnie and dusting her apron with her hand. The two just stare as the turtles are dealing with the fish.

"Oh, this is getting old," Donnie says to Amy, his staff turning into a tennis ball launcher that wraps around his body. He fires it and Amy throws cherries at them. The fish are knocked off the turtles and they run away, frightened.

"Mission accomplished!" Mikey cheers as Donnie's staff turns back into a staff. Raph sighs in relief as they stand up.

"Nice hustle, Donnie and Mellie!" He gives his brother and friend a thumbs up. "I knew we could deal with this as a team!"

"Actually, it was pretty much just me and Amy, but segway!" He holds up a finger. "I think I have a little something to kick our skills into high gear." He presses a button from his wrist computer and a drill emerges from the ground, shocking the others.

"Whoa!"

"No way!"

"Jumping Jack Flash!"

"Wow."

Mikey slides over to the drill, his eyes sparkling. "It's beautiful." He hugs it, the others grinning except for Donnie.

"No, no, no, not that," Donnie denies with a slight frown.

"What do you mean not that? That should totally be the thing," Leo speaks up.

"Hello, annoying," Amy places her hands on her hips. "A simple drill wouldn't kick your skills into high gear."

"Whatever you say, beautiful," Leo smirks, crossing his arms. Amy stutters slightly, trying not to blush before she narrows her eyes slightly. He thought he had the upper hand, huh?

She suddenly smirks, crossing her arms. "Charmless."

Leo's eyes widen as the other turtles gasp sharply at her jab.

"OOOOOOOO...Shots...FIRED!" Raph laughs with his two brothers as Leo stammers, trying to think of a word that started with a D.

"W-Well...you're...you're...! I am not charmless!" He pouts at her. "Take that back."

"No~" She sweeps her hair into his face as she passes by him and he coughs slightly. "I think I'll keep it."

"Charmless isn't even a word," Leo argues, as he couldn't see himself without his charm to flirt with his lady. It was a part of him.

"Actually, according to any dictionary, it is," Donnie calls out, "It means-"

"I know what it means!" Leo snaps at him.

"Anyway, this is just a little. It's in beta, don't worry about it," Donnie waves off the drill. "The real thing is much more personal and thoughtful and I really hope you like it," Donnie looks like he's about to cry, "Cause if you don't, I will JUST be crushed!" Leo, Amy, and Raph look a little surprised at Donnie, as they didn't want to hurt his feelings.

"Donnie, just show it to us," Raph deadpans, as Donnie was his brother, "I'm sure we'll all love it."

"And if we don't for some reason, I'll bake you pineapple muffins," Amy puts an arm around Donnie's shoulders, hand on her hip. "So that's something if you feel crushed."

Leo glares at the contact as he felt a dark feeling in his heart. "Thank you, Amy. Thank you," Donnie smiles gratefully with his eyes closed.

"Donnie," Leo leads his brother away from Amy and the others. "I don't know if you know this, but my pink-a-boo and I, we're like this," He crosses his fingers. "Have been for a while, so back off, okay?"

Donnie rolls his eyes at his brother's jealousy. If he had to be honest, Amy was only a good friend to him. Even if he did have romantic feelings for her, Leo would never let him live it down. "Here we go," He presses another button from his wrist computer.

"Okay, so we're just moving past the drill?" Leo asks and no one answers as the drill spins around, throwing Mikey off it. It opens up to reveal a suit, collar, helmet, and an outfit. Donnie presses a third button and a panel opens up, revealing a shiny new red motorcycle. The items are labeled with the others' names.

"You even got my life colors right!" Mikey looks at his suit in awe.

Leo chuckles at his. "Oh ho ho. Wow, I don't know what this is, but it has got a lot of blinkity blink."

"Whoa! Jazzy headgear!" Raph eyes his helmet with a glass visor.

"A new bike?!" Amy exclaims in awe and Donnie hands her a remote.

"I stole your bike while you were working, you're welcome," He says quickly so she doesn't kill him.

"Wait, what?" She asks in confusion as he hands her the outfit, laughing nervously. They try on their presents and they take on stylish poses with them. Amy has a pink midriff jacket with green edging, blonde pockets, and cream cuffs. Her trousers are pink with a long green belt and her boots are green. Her helmet is dark pink with blonde bits. She looks at herself in awe. Amy presses a button from her remote and 4 sidecars appear from the sides.

"Cool," She grins as Leo is staring at her.

"Donnie, I love you," He murmurs as he's looking at her belly. "Thank you for creating this moment."

"Oh, I'm so glad you like 'em!" Donnie exclaims in delight. "Now let me show you how they work."

Before he can, though, there's a screech nearby. "What was that?" Raph asks and they run forward towards an alley. Mikey stops in his tracks at a sign.

"Chateau Pretenche?" He reads, seeming to be familiar with it. "I think I've heard of this place!" Donnie pulls him forward and they peek around the corner. There in the green light is a massive mutant pig with pink skin, a pale pink torso, large fleshy arms with dark pink and purple bulges and dark grey hooves on his small feet. He has red eyes, a dark pink pig snout and jagged teeth. He wears a light grey folded chef's cap, large three-fingered grey gauntlets over his meat tendril hands, a light grey waist apron with brown stains and navy blue pants. He looks to be holding a bag.

"Another mutant? What's his deal?" Leo wonders as Amy looks at the pig in disgust.

"Gross, a mutant pig," She scrunches up her nose.

"Looks like we're on the same page, my lady," Leo grins at her, leaning in closer.

"I wish you'd stop with the nicknames," Amy pinches her nose. The pig grabs a mutant silverfish and puts it into his bag.

"You know what, that guy looks like the Meat Sweats," Raph comments, the others laughing except for Donnie. 'Meat Sweats' opens a manhole cover and jumps in, getting stuck. He struggles to get wherever he's trying to go, but manages to squeeze in.

The others follow him, using the subway station for stealth. A train passes right by them, but it doesn't seem to stop. Probably because it was going too fast to see them. Up ahead is Meat Sweats' lair, and he appears to be making something at his kitchen. They hide behind oil crates as Mikey watches closely. There was something about this mutant that was familiar...

Meat Sweats throws in the mutant silverfish he kidnapped, licking his lips as he grabs a salt shaker. "Hmm, a little salt," He shakes some salt into the boiling pot of silverfish. "A pinch of savory, lemon for the tang," He throws in some lemon wedges and closes the pot. "Unleash the flavor!"

"Unleash the flavor?" Mikey and Amy murmur. "Oh my gosh, it's Rupert Swaggert!" Mikey smiles like a fanboy and Amy gasps, clasping her hands together.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god," She whispers in excitement, Leo glancing at her. It was kinda weird to see her like this, but also kind of adorable.

"Oh yeah!" Raph says in realization, but he just remembers that he doesn't know him. "Uh, who's that?"

"Are you kidding me?!" Amy whispers in disbelief.

"The celebrity chef? Host of Kondescending Kitchen? The show where he screams at chefs until they give up their dreams?" Mikey asks, but Raph still doesn't remember. "I love that guy!"

"I love him too," Amy smiles before it turns into a pout. "It kinda sucks he's a mutant now, though..." Mikey and Amy both grin at each other that they have something in common and that they share a hobby. Leo grunts as he crosses his arms. First Donnie, and now Mikey? How was he gonna get a chance if his brothers kept getting in the way?

 _Mikey was watching the show while cooking in the kitchen. Rupert, who was a large man with red hair, a goatee, and a white chef's uniform, loomed over a contestant from his show. "That's not how you bake a pork risotto!" He slapped the contestant's face with pork. "You've got to pound it to unleash the flavor!"_

 _He didn't notice an Oozesquito landing on him, which stung his neck. The mutagen filled his body and he grew a pig nose. The contestant peeked as Rupert grew a pig's tail and the cameraman looked over to the host before his mutant self laughed._

"You saw a celebrity chef transform into a pig mutant and you didn't tell anyone?" Donnie wonders, arms crossed. Mikey's not that forgetful.

"I didn't wanna burn my risotto!" Mikey shrugs sheepishly.

"I was working when that aired," Amy rubs her neck. "I only watch it when I'm cooking."

"Chateau Pretenche is his restaurant," Mikey explains, rubbing his fingers. "No wonder he's here!" He glances back at the mutant pig.

"I wonder what he's making?" Amy murmurs to herself and Mikey gasps.

"Ooo, maybe a soup."

"You think so? Seems like fish with a sauce to me," Amy glances at the mutant and while she's not looking, Leo points his fingers between his eyes and Mikey. Mikey just looks confused at his brother for his sudden attitude.

Meat Sweats lifts the lid. "Oh, he's not gonna eat that bug, is he?" Donnie asks in disgust. One of the mutant pig's arms turns into tendrils. He snorts and the tendrils float over to the now larger fish.

"What's he doing?" Amy asks quietly as something green appears on his arm, floating over to him. The others either look away or cringe in disgust.

"Oh, that's so much worse!"

Meat Sweats laughs, clenching a fist. "I feel the rush of your delicious energy! And an herb de Provence, with a nice touch." He sniffs the air, catching a scent of the turtles and pie smell. His eyes widen before he grins. "Am I picking up the delightful aroma of mutant with an after stench of turtle? And the sweet smell of key lime pie? Oh, I'm thinking lime turtle tenderloin, over a bed of saffron rice and a girl for dessert! But not before I get her recipes."

"Oooh, that sounds good!" Mikey cheers, Donnie covering his mouth as the others glare at him.

"He's talking about eating us," Donnie reminds him.

"And stealing my recipes," Amy's nose flares up. Those were kept secret until and way after she dies.

"Excuse me for wanting to be eaten in style," Mikey pouts and Amy throws up her hands.

"Why would you even want to be eaten regardless?" She asks in disbelief. They look up as Meat Sweats steps over to the barrels, licking his lips at the thought of his next meal. He uses his hammer to knock one away, trying to find them. They're huddled together and Leo leans forward to Amy, wiggling his eyes. Amy pushes away his head slowly.

Raph grins and jumps up into the air, shocking the others. He makes himself known to Meat Sweats. He dodges a thrown barrel towards him. "It's time to mash this pig's potatoes!"

"Gross," Amy sticks her tongue out at the thought.

Raph pulls out his tonfas. "Hot soup!" He lunches forward and Meat Sweats just stands there.

"Charging the enemy?" A voice asks and Raph looks around before looking at his helmet.

"Hey, this thing talks?" Distracted, he trips on a barrel and lands on the ground.

"Perhaps you should reevaluate."

Raph stands up, confused. "Uh, Donnie?" He looks around. "The helmet's talking to me!" He gets punched by Meat Sweats.

"Oh goody, it's working," Donnie looks happy and Amy glances at him.

"Why would you do that?" She wonders in confusion as Raph crashes against three barrels.

"You-hey, stop it, you-! Hey, hey!" Raph uses his smash jitsu to block Meat Sweats, who grabs him by the tendrils and throws him into a barrel.

"Your opponent is quite strong," Meat Sweats throws a barrel onto Raph, who uses his feet to block the pig's hammer. "Consider other options."

"How's this for options?" Raph asks confidently, his arms turning red as he jumps into the air. "Smash and bash!" He slams his fists into Meat Sweats, who splits apart into an army of Mini Sweats. Raph runs around as they're on him.

"Time to unleash the flavor!" The Mini Sweats exclaim as the others just watch.

"Ow-oh! Hey, stop it! Ouch!" Raph protests and Amy couldn't help but laugh a little. It was kinda funny.

"Fascinating," Donnie comments, turning to the others. "He must've absorbed the silverfish's powers. This represents a new level of mutant abilities!" A Mini Sweat appears right behind him, along with his little friends. They all grin.

"Donnie...that's a BAD thing!" Amy makes it clear.

Mikey screeches as he, Amy, and Leo all run away from the lair as they're being chased by the little piggies. Raph follows behind them as Donnie is grabbed by them and then dragged away. Mikey runs up a pole and jumps into the air.

"Impact imminent." His suit inflates to make it bigger.

"What the?!" Mikey bounces away. "This totally messed up my steam!" The Mini Sweat chases after him. Leo is battling more of them.

"You'll beat me..." He ducks and swings, kicking a tower of them away. He places his hand on his head as if he's looking out to a mountain. "When pigs fly." He suddenly gets shocked by his collar. "What was that?"

"Hilarious," Amy stifles a laugh, "And I didn't even have to lift a finger!" A claw suddenly appears from behind her suit, holding a pie. "A p-" The claw smashes the pie into her face and she falls onto the ground.

Leo does a split jump as a tower of Mini Sweats try to attack him. Leo kicks away the hammer and swings his sword, knocking them away. "These little piggies are gonna cry whee whee-" He gets shocked again.

"This thing doesn't like my one-liners?" Leo asks in disbelief.

"Leo...I say this because you're my friend," Amy bends down to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. She takes a deep breath. "Your one-liners make me wanna-" She gets another pie to the face and she pulls it off, annoyed. Their eyes widen as Mikey is about to land on them as he's still bouncing around. Leo scrambles around, but Mikey bounces off of him as a subway train goes by. The Mini Sweats pump their arms in victory as the three are knocked to the other side.

Leo groans as he stands up, dragging a part of his face. "Dude, Mikey, what did you do?"

"I don't know!" Mikey stammers as Leo and Amy both look annoyed with him. "It's this suit. Every time I do some razzma tazz, this thing inflates and throws me off my game! I need my razz, and my tazz!"

"And every time I drop a killer joke bomb, this stupid collar zaps me," Leo points to his collar.

"I mean, the bike was cool, and I'm glad that nothing's wrong with that. But every time I try to tease Leo and be all snarky, my suit smashes a pie into my face!" Amy gestures to her cream-covered cheeks.

"So you are teasing me!" Leo grins and she narrows her eyes slightly as that wasn't her point.

"...What kind of pie?" Mikey wonders and Amy sighs slowly.

"Does it matter?!" Mikey stares at her and she facepalms. "Lemon meringue." Which is ironic, since she works at a bakery and MAKES pies.

"No fair," Mikey pouts at her.

"Well," they turn around to see Raph in an abandoned subway car behind him, "My gift just keeps nagging me. I don't need to be told how to think!"

"Does Donnie really think I'm a crazy kangaroo who needs to wear a padded suit so I don't hurt myself?" Mikey asks, looking at himself.

"Yeah, does he really think I need to be told what to do all the time?" Raph wonders, pouting.

"Right?" Leo agrees with them. "And who doesn't love my one-liners? They fire up the team, right guys?" He looks confident in himself, but Mikey and Raph don't answer, blinking at him. If Amy answered that, she'd probably get another pie to the face. "Pink-a-boo likes them, right?"

"I-I don't know," Amy mumbles nervously, shifting around so he doesn't interrogate her. She scratches the side of her neck anxiously. "But I don't know why my gift has to shove a pie in my face to get me not to be myself. Being all clever and snarky is who I am, dang it." And she gets another pie to the face. Amy pushes off the pan, wiping some cream off her fingers. "How. Was that. Snarky?"

"Anyway, we need to tell Donnie that he doesn't get to tell us what to be," Leo crosses his arms as he offers Amy a napkin. She grabs it and uses it to wipe her face.

"I'm sure that's not what Donnie intended when he gave us our gifts," She starts off, "Our courage is what pulls us through, no matter how we do it. But if he doesn't have a reasonable explanation for this, I'll kick him all the way to-"

"Ah, ah, ah," Leo interrupts, smirking in a know-it-all way, "Can't finish that sentence or else you'll get another pie to your pretty face."

"Rrr," Amy growls slightly at him, trying not to blush as she stays silent. _He he, I'm pretty...wait, what the heck just happened?_

"Ah, I know," Raph agrees with Leo, but Donnie was a part of his family. He'd be crushed if they told him the truth because Amy did have a point. "But he's got such a soft shell." He meant that literally and figuratively. Donnie made these specifically FOR them. He was always so ambitious about his inventions, how was Raph gonna break it to him? Sure, he had good intentions to help out his brothers, but not if he was trying to change who they are.

"But it's like he's trying to fix us. What are we, broken?" Leo replies.

"No!" Both Raph and Mikey reply, as least, they didn't think so. Amy bites her lip nervously. As much as she didn't wanna do it, they had to tell Donnie. Yes, sometimes she was sarcastic with them, but she meant it in a friendly way.

"So what are you gonna do about it, leader?" Mikey glances at Raph, since he is the leader. "Huh? You gonna stand up and tell him his gifts stink?"

"Where is he, anyway?" Amy murmurs, looking around as he's been gone for more than 10 minutes, at least.

Raph glances away from them, thinking for a few seconds. He could do it, it was like ripping off a bandage. "Yeah! Yeah, I think I am!"

He suddenly gets a phone call and pulls out his phone to see a picture of Donnie with pink bunny ears a nose. Mikey and Leo are teasing him. Ah, he remembered that photo. "It's him!"

"Oh, he's so gonna get it!" Mikey smiles in delight, Leo grinning at the thought of Raph standing up to their mature brother.

"I still think you should ask him how they're supposed to work?" Amy suggests, crossing her arms.

"My lady, no one tells us how to act. Personally, your personality is what makes you attractive to me~!"

Amy stammers, looking away as she huffs. "C-Can you stop saying stuff like that? Unless you want me to get another pie to the face..."

Leo just shrugs, staying quiet as he smiles at her. Raph turns around as he picks up. "Ooo, hey buddy." Amy raises an eyebrow at his baby talk. "Hey, um, really loving the gifts you got us." Leo frowns a little. "Yeah, we-we know how long it took you to make 'em and it was soooo thoughtful." Mikey waves his arms in protest, Leo shaking his head. Amy covers his mouth, giving him a warning look. Another pie hits her in the face and she goes down.

"Owww..."

"Uh, what's that? Hang on, hang on, I'm gonna put you on speaker," Raph presses a button and Donnie screams into the phone.

"Where did you guys go? They're all over me, they're gonna cook me alive!" He screams for his life, the others glancing at each other. While Donnie did make them offensive gifts, he was still their brother. They couldn't hurt his feelings like this. They had to go save him.

* * *

The Mini Sweats all merge back into Meat Sweats back at his lair. "Mm, a delicate soft-shell. A sprinkle of paprika should unleash the flavor."

Raph's helmet scans the area as Meat Sweats prepares his food.

"Hey Raph, you need a plan," The helmet tells him, using emojis to point.

"Okay, now according to Donnie's condescending hat, I need to make a plan," Raph tells the others.

"What do ya got?" Leo wonders and Raph sits down, holding his head as he thinks. The helmet gives him an error as he's got nothing.

"I'm not good at making plans!" He crosses his arms. Leo groans, facepalming.

"Of course you're not. And I'm not good at fighting if I can't...razzma tazz."

Donnie screams into Raph's phone. "I'm still on speaker!"

"Hang up," Amy tells Raph and he does so.

"And I'm not good at suppressing my lightning wit," Leo states and Amy glances at him.

"Lightning isn't the word I'd use...and how am I supposed to not be me? I can't just not be sarcastic," She says in disbelief.

"The point Is, who are we? We are who we are," Leo clenches his fist. Raph's helmet removes the visor as he looks inspired.

"Yeah. And the only way we're gonna save the guy who's roasting on a stick is by being we!" He holds out his giant hand, the other three placing their hands on top.

Meat Sweats chops up carrots as Donnie is wrapped up in sausage, tied to a pole.

"Hey!" A shadow looms over the mutant pig. "Meat Sweats!" He turns to the shadow as Mikey is waving his fingers near his head.

"Distraction jitsu!" Meat Sweats is confused, but in the short time he's distracted, Donnie is already gone. He looks to see Raph carrying Donnie away.

"Come back! I used an entire pound of butter on him!" Meat Sweats complains. Amy turns to Donnie and sniffs him.

"Huh. He used the stick kind."

"Not helping," Donnie deadpans to her as Meat Sweats chases after them. He appears at the subway station as a train passes right by him. Raph, Donnie, ad Amy are nowhere to be seen. Leo appears right behind him out of nowhere.

"Hey Meat Sweats," He sings teasingly, the pig mutant turning around. Leo pulls open the pig's pants, putting his collar in there. "Looks like you're about to get some shocking news!" Leo smirks slightly as Meat Sweats is now the one getting shocked instead of him. "Oh ho ho, I love the smell of frying bacon in the morning." Meat Sweats gets shocked again. "Hey Ames, you wanna make me some bacon?"

Amy smirks as she's standing in front of Meat Sweats.

"Roasted flesh," Meat Sweats stands up, weakened. "I do smell delicious." Amy leans in towards Meat Sweats.

"Leo, the only way I'd make you bacon is if you make it worth my while," She grins as the pie approaches her, but she punches it back so that it hits Meat Sweats in the face.

Leo smirks at their banter that they came up with, but Donnie looks confused. "Huh? Wait, what are you doing?"

"We're betting the most out of your gifts, Donnie," Leo turns around and points to his brother. "Check it out. Hey Meat Sweats, I hear baloney is full of you!" He points as the mutant pig approaches him, smirking wider as the pig is shocked.

"Ha ha!" Amy starts to laugh, clutching her stomach. "He didn't even have to touch him!"

 _Yes, I made her laugh!_ Leo pumps a fist to himself, cheering.

"Hey no, that's not how-"

"He's getting a little hot under his-" Leo gets punched by Meat Sweats before he can finish.

Meat Sweats licks the pie cream off his face. "Ooo, apple pie."

"I told you it matters," Mikey winks at Amy as he's standing on a catwalk above the mutant pig. She rolls her eyes silently, giving up with him as she goes over to check on Leo. "Chef Swaggert! Oh ho, big fan. I was wondering, um, how do you get your meat so tender?"

"You've gotta pound it-" He turns around, confused as Mikey is no longer there.

"Impact imminent," Mikey backflips into the air and lets his suit be inflated. He cheers as he hits Meat Sweats like a punching bag. He gets knocked into a subway car. Mikey lands safely and bumps fists with Leo.

"Hey," Donnie hops up to them as he's still wrapped in sausage. "Hey, hey, that is not how you were supposed to use those. I spent a lot of time on-"

They hear a crash and turn to see Meat Sweats gone. "Oh snap." A hammer shoots up from the car and they all gasp. Meat Sweats emerges from the car and when a subway train passes him, he disappears.

"Uh oh."

Meat Sweats appears from above. "Oh my god!" Mikey screams as he runs away. Leo pushes Amy away onto the ground. They slide to a stop. Leo grins down at Amy, who pushes him off. Donnie yelps as he's still in danger. Raph saves him by using his smash jitsu. He punches the pig and waves his hands. Meat Sweats suddenly grabs him and throws him around by the helmet. He smashes his hammer and Raph moves out of the way. He uses his mystic powers again, grinning as he stands up.

"Hey, Raph, you need a plan."

"Ah!" Raph clutches his helmet as he still has to deal with his gift. Meat Sweats goes in for an attack, but Raph puts his helmet on his fist.

"Bad plan!"

Raph swoops in and punches Meat Sweats using his helmet. "Hot soup!" Meat Sweats flies across the room and gets hit by a subway train that just happens to pass by. It takes him along with it and he screams.

"Rubbish!" He calls out before he's gone. Raph holds out his broken helmet to Donnie, who looks annoyed.

"Donnie, your gifts really brought out the best in us." He smiles as Mikey is still bouncing around.

"I'm funnier," Leo gestures to himself as Mikey lands next to him.

"I'm bouncier!"

"I'm smashier!" Raph punches a hand against his helmet.

"And I'm better than ever!" Amy smiles, leaning in to whisper, "Thank you again for the bike, but I'll kill you if you touch my stuff again."

"What?"

"Nothing!" Amy moves away, placing her hands behind her back with a wide smile.

"Your gifts are the stuff!"

"But you were supposed to-ah," Donnie facepalms, looking at his brothers. He knew he couldn't try to change them, he honestly thought he was improving their skills. But...he loves them the way they are, and he shouldn't try to change that. "Forget it," He smiles, deciding to forget about the whole thing. "You guys are great the way you are. Bring it in, group hug. Amy, you too!"

They all hug each other."

"Impact imminent."

Their eyes all widen.

* * *

Brit Worley looks at a tiny model of Smith's Sweets in his hands. "Mark my words, Amelia. I'll get that shop if it's the last thing I do..."

Someone bursts in through his room, which was serving as his lair. "Sweetie, I made you cookies~"

"MOM!" He whines, glancing at the woman. "I'm trying to swear revengeeee!"

"Okay, but hurry before your father and I get to them." She closes the door and Brit turns back to the model.

"You will pay for crossing me!" He smashes the model with his hand. "PAY!"


	4. War and Pizza

**Angel: Yes, Amy has electricity powers, that was already established in the first chapter :/ Shouldn't have to explain that...and yes, it replaces her ice powers, which she won't have AT ALL, I said this in the Turtles Forever story, people. Like I've said before, different universes, different turtles and Amy, and that goes for this show too. So don't ask questions please if she's not how you've seen her before in 2003 or 2012 or Turtles Forever, because it's bound to happen, guys. Yes, this Amy is different, so that should stop all your questions I shouldn't have to answer, it's gonna get annoying if I constantly have to bring this up.**

 **As for how the turtles and April got on Amy's bike...well, Raph's the largest, so obviously the rest had to sit on him while Leo was behind Amy XD**

 **I've been watching some Miraculous moments with Cat Noir lately in case I get stuck with Leo and Amy's relationship, but so far, I've been okay according to your reviews XD Glad I'm pulling this off, so thank you guys in advance. I'm also planning on giving Amy a rival kinda like with Gideon from Gravity Falls and Nevel from ICarly (two of my favorite shows), but I don't know yet what episode he'll appear in. I'd probably do it soon depending on the episodes...**

At a pizza place called Albearto's, kids are hanging out, playing with the various games and machines. April is in a uniform, looking worried as she pulls the lever to a claw game. It's full of cherry plushies that have faces on them, made to look like one of the mascots. "How did you even get in there?" She wonders, pulling out a kid who got stuck.

"Whoa, whee!" He looks like he's having fun.

"I hope we aren't headed for another of your 'epic party fails,' Party Captain O'Neil," her manager appears right behind her, scaring her and making her drop the kid back inside. She quickly covers the boy with a big nervous smile.

"No way, sir. Tonight's the night I'm finally getting a party all the way through Albearto's happy birthday song and cake," she declares, as she has failed before...numerous times.

"You'd better," He threatens, "Because _this_ is your last chance." He walks away to his office, leaving April to deal with the kids herself.

"You got this, Party Captain O'Neil," April pumps her fists in determination, the kid inside the game giving her a thumbs up. She smiles at him and takes the stage. "Get hyped, kids! Coming to the stage to sing 'Happy Birthday,' give a big 'what up' to the Cheese Master of Bear-imonies," The birthday kid looks like he doesn't want to listen to this. "Albearto and his Fun Time Band, Cheery Tomato and President Pepperoni." A trio of animatronic robots sit on stage of a bear looking like a chef, a tomato female with stiletto heels and fishnet stockings, and a tall unsliced pepperoni with two salami as drumsticks and looks like a president.

"Bon giorno, kiddies!" Albearto declares, "I hear someone's a year older today, and I'm not just talking about my underwear."

President Pepperoni does a rim shot with his drums, all except one kid not laughing at the...joke.

"Okay, sing with me kiddies! Happy-"

"Hey, Albearto," April gasps as Timmy, the birthday boy, throws his birthday cake. "Incoming!"

"No!" April exclaims in horror as the cake lands in the animatronic's mouth, shorting it out and damaging it. It falls onto the ground as April looks at the boy.

"Boo!"

They start to wreak havoc, April quickly grabbing her phone. "Not good, not good." She scrolls up to Donnie's contact and dials him.

When he answers, his brothers seem to be being chased. "You are conversing with Donatello." The other three are trying not to get zapped by a flying microwave robot, something Donnie probably upgraded.

"Dude, I need your help," April starts.

"For you, anything. As long as it does not involve bees, or spiders, or beach balls." The robot explodes behind him. "Please not beach balls," He shakes his head.

"Can you fix Albearto?" April asks, getting to the point. "He broke before singing 'Happy Birthday,' and the cake is ruined."

Donnie's eyes widen, turning to the others. "April still hasn't gotten through the 'Happy Birthday' song yet, guys," He informs them.

Raph pops up out of nowhere. "April still hasn't gotten through the Happy Birthday song?"

"Am I on speaker?" April asks in disbelief.

"Or cake, actually, it got ruined," Donnie doesn't answer her question. Leo scoffs, trying not to laugh.

"Or cake?"

"Albearto's is the pizza place, right? We'll be right over and call Mellie on the way," Raph answers.

"Mellie?" Leo gives him a look, as he doesn't look happy with that. _How the heck did THAT happen?_

"Hey, if you guys are in the middle of something-" They hang up and not even a second later, they burst through the back door. They have on various poses, as if they were about to fight crime.

"Fixers in the house, swooping in to save the day!" Raph declares, April standing up.

"That was fast. Actually, I-I just needed Donnie and Amy," April laughs nervously.

"Oh, we know," Raph drops his pose. "We just came for the free pizza." Leo glances at the door and smirks.

"Not just for that." Amy walks in through the back door, pushing a cart of ingredients and tools. She's in her bakery outfit that the turtles saw her in.

"Need a cake, I'm your baker," Amy winks at April. Leo puts an arm around her.

"And if you need help, I'm your turtle," He looks down at her and she pushes his arm off her.

"No thanks, wonder turtle. I'm a big girl," She jerks a thumb at herself and pushes the cart towards the kitchen. "I'll bring out the cake when I'm done, April."

"Remember, blend in like you're a birthday bot," Raph reminds them and they turn stiff, making robot noises and following after Amy. April turns to Donnie, not wanting to lose her job over an animatronic.

"Thank goodness Amy does catering," April murmurs to herself. "So, Donnie, hopefully this will be a quick fix," She smiles anxiously, as no one is watching over the kids. With the way Timmy is, who knows what they could do to the restaurant. Donnie is leaning over Albearto's stomach, already having taken it apart. He looks up and smiles with a thumbs up. "Or a total tear-down," She returns the thumbs up, cringing. "That works." She hears screaming and moves the curtain, gasping as her fears have been realized. They're either fighting or eating everything in sight or messing with the robots.

* * *

Amy ties a white bandana to her forehead, looking focused on her work. The others are eating pizza behind her. "Okay, since I'm on a time constraint, I'll do a simple ½ sheet chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting," She murmurs to herself as she draws a plan on large construction paper. "Use fondant for the eyes, tooth, mustache, and hat, and strawberries for the tie and his cheeks. Maybe put the other robots on here somewhere and use some of the frosting for the eyebrows and mouth. Wait...I need something for the beard," Amy thinks to herself as she paces back and forth. Leo glances at her as he's eating and notices how dedicated she is to her work. She gasps as she snaps her fingers. "Chocolate chips with whipped cream, of course!"

She gets to making the batter and Leo looks at her in amazement in how fluent and precise she is. He's so focused on her that he drops his pizza slice. She's not looking like her cynical self anymore. If anything, she looks...happy. Which he's never seen before. He kinda likes it when she's happy. Sure, she had a temper when he called the bakery line, but he understood why. It was her passion, part of her life. And if baking made her happy, then maybe he could help. He takes a step forward and falls back into a pile of flour, Mikey and Raph snickering.

"Hey."

Amy turns to him. "What?" Her eyes widen as she sees him covered in flour.

"Need some help?" He offers, smiling slightly. Amy smiles back, noticing how he's not using a pick-up line. She kind of...liked it when he wasn't acting all boastful. But then again, she felt like she...missed his quips a little.

* * *

"And short-circuiting con-qu-ered," Donnie states as April looks behind her. "Now to juice up his-"

"That's enough," April interrupts his process. "I just need him to sing 'Happy Birthday' and quiet the kids down so I don't get fired."

"Well, sure, he could just sing it," Donnie starts, "Or he could dazzle!" Donnie's mechanical arms give jazz hands.

"Please, please, no dazzling," April begs.

"You know, he might end up being the greatest entertainer-bot of his generation," Donnie puts the body parts back together. "And voila," He holds out his hands, Albearto looking better than ever. He's also got sunglasses over his eyes now. "Albearto 2.14.2. I upgraded my upgrade in the middle of the upgrade." Donnie's holding a remote control in his hands. "Now, to sync him to my remote, and it's showtime!"

"Bon giorno, kiddies!" Albearto declares.

"Yeah, let's go give Timmy the Albearto-iest birthday ever!" April cheers, smiling. She moves the curtain and gives a nervous look as Amy's not done with the cake yet.

* * *

The oven dings and Amy pulls out the sheet cake. She pokes it to make sure it's cool and places it down on the counter. Raph and Mikey glance at Leo, who's cutting the strawberries, and smirk. Amy removes the cake from the pan to place it on a tray and spins it, squeezing the frosting bag. After five seconds, she stops it from spinning, revealing the cake covered in frosting. Amy checks the mixer to make sure the buttercream was good to go and she spreads the buttercream on it. She immediately starts placing the fondant she made a few minutes ago to create Albearto's face. Leo walks over and helps her, Raph and Mikey looking over in interest.

"So, uh, Ames," Leo glances at her and she doesn't give any reaction to the new nickname, meaning he was probably off to a good start. "After this, you, uh, wanna play a little skeeball?"

"I only came here to help April," She turns to him, placing a hand on her hip. "Not you."

"Aw come on, what's a little game between friends?" He nudges her slightly.

"Wonder turtle, you are really grasping your straws here," Amy shakes her head, frosting being flicked onto her face. She turns to Leo to see him winking. Amy continues working, but smiles to herself. Sure, he flicked frosting at her, but she liked his playful side once in a while.

* * *

April looks confidently at the kids and glances at Donnie. "You ready?"

"Yup," He gives a thumbs up. April pulls the lever, revealing the band once more. Albearto is now holding a pizza guitar, something he didn't have earlier.

"Bon giorno, kiddies!" He greets, his sunglasses shining slightly. Timmy still has his arms crossed.

"Is he gonna break again?" A girl with pink hair in pigtails asks.

"Not on my watch...again," April deadpans the last word.

"Hold on to your birthday hats, kiddies," Albearto replies, rocking out on his guitar with the other robots playing their instruments.

"And now for a little guitar solo," Donnie presses the green button. "You're welcome."

Albearto places the guitar behind his back, shredding. "Check me out, I'm shredding this guitar like it's mozzarella."

"Looking good, D!" April pumps her fists and the kids look happy too. Albearto hops to the left as he's pumping up the crowd...until he starts to glitch.

"Uh, hold on. No, no, no, no. He should not be glitching. He should be rocking and/or rolling!" Donnie exclaims in panic. Albearto starts spinning around on stage.

"Donnie," April says in worry.

"Oh no," He then notices the low battery on his remote. "The battery. Oh, I knew I forgot to change something. I can't stop him!"

Albearto thrusts the pizza guitar into a spotlight, electrocuting him. The kids stop cheering as Donnie and April give a look of shock. It electrocutes him so severely, the lights go out. The kids are covered in soot. April holds her hair in panic.

* * *

In the kitchen, Amy sprinkles the chocolate chips to cover the cream, finishing the beard. The cake has Albearto's face, along with figures of Cheery Tomato and President Pepperoni on top. They're made out of rice cereal treats. "Finished!" She holds up the cake before the electricity goes out. The three turtles glance at Amy, who shakes her head.

"I had nothing to do with that."

"This can't be good," Raph says.

* * *

April slides in front of Albearto. "Okay, so that happened. But we can still sing happy birthday without him. Happy Birthday-" Albearto stands up behind her and there's an electric shock, interrupting her. The kids all look in panic as part of his face has been ripped off. He starts walking towards them, as the shock has given him sentience.

"Hey diddly ho, kiddies." They gasp as they look scared out of their minds. "Time to pump this party up. Let's play!"

The kids scream as they run away, April turning to her friend.

"Donnie, can you, um-"

"I can fix this." Donnie rapidly pushes the green button. "I can fix this, I can fix this," He starts hitting himself in the head with the remote. "I can fix this. I can totally fix this." The remote breaks into pieces and April facepalms. "You know what, it turns out I cannot fix this."

Timmy screams for his life as Albearto reaches out to him, laughing manically. April grabs a pizza dish and swings it at him.

"Play nice, Albearto!" She slices the gloves off, revealing his robotic arms. Well, one of them is fully revealed while the other arm is still covered in fake fur, with the claws still on. He turns to her and Timmy hides behind her. "Run, kid!"

He screams as he does just that. Albearto reveals his claws.

"Whoopsie, thanks for the claws, April," he says, roaring and raising an arm.

"He knows my name?" April asks in shock, covering herself with the tray.

"These are way better to open gifts with," He slashes Timmy's birthday gifts to bits. April looks up as he's distracted and looks at the other guests.

"Who wants to play a little game of follow the leader to safety?" The kids scream as they follow her to the front door. "And tell your friends to celebrate at Albearto's after you're done fleeing for your lives." One kid lags behind as he's using his cell phone. She closes the door when every kid is gone, sighing in relief. Albearto, no longer shredding gifts, appears behind her and she gasps. He laughs evilly before Raph appears out of nowhere, punching Albearto in the face.

"Knuckle sandwich!" He declares and Albearto crashes into a table. He sits up, turning his body around.

"Bon giorno, kiddies!"

Mikey and Leo are standing behind him and Amy places the cake down in front of the stage, still in her uniform. She backflips over to the others. "We'll fix it, April. He may have the crazy, but we got the numbers. Go ahead and bounce if you need to," Raph tells her, but she looks worried that she was so gonna lose her job over this.

"Don't leave, I haven't handed out the party invitations yet," Wires come out of Albearto's mouth, activating Cheery Tomato and President Pepperoni.

"Uh, he's bringing the robots to life," Donnie says in worry.

"No sweat," Raph places his hands on his hips. "Still got this." Albearto spins his head around, activating the vole game. Dozens of voles activate, surrounding the three as their army. The five look down at them in shock.

"What about now, muscle turtle?" Amy asks, glancing at Raph. Leo huffs at that, crossing his arms in jealousy.

"Uh, you didn't have plans right now, did you, April?" Raph questions nervously, as they need all the help they can get. April laughs as she walks over to them.

"Oh, I'm staying. I am the Party Captain, and I am saving Timmy's party from disaster." They hear a scream and their eyes widen as Timmy is shaking, surrounded by voles. "Right after I save Timmy."

The six dash into action as the three robots charge. They all jump in the air with their weapons, April sliding underneath Albearto, leaving the other five to deal with the others.

"Timmy!" April calls out and Timmy holds out his arms, crying.

"Lady!" She grabs him, rolling to the vole machine. They approach her and she sees the mallet, spinning it around and catching it.

"It's go time!" She declares heroically. The words 'let's play smack-a-vole' appear and the voles jump towards her. April swings the mallet back and forth, fending them off. She kicks one before swinging, knocking two back. More appear from the holes, jumping towards her. Timmy knocks them back with his own mallet, to her surprise. "Oh yeah! Nice shot, birthday boy!" He giggles at her praise. They turn to the lead vole, who's sitting in a large missile, laughing slowly. He inserts a token inside the slot and the missiles shakes back and forth before firing straight at them. April grabs Timmy and jumps out of the way. The slot to the Cheery Tomato game opens up to reveal the kid who got stuck in there.

"Yippee, I'm free!"

April pushes him back inside along with Timmy, closing up the machine. They emerge from all the plushies to see her.

"You'll be safer in here. Plus, you have a new friend," She points to the boy before getting tackled by the voles. Mikey crashes against the skeeball machines, his eyes swirling.

"President Pepperoni wants you for my punching bag," President Pepperoni threatens, clenching his fist. Mikey sees a skee ball and grabs it. He twists his arm and throws it, President Pepperoni hitting it like a baseball bat. Mikey shouts in surprise and ducks, the ball landing in one of the slots. He gets some tickets.

"Alright! Making it rain!" He throws more balls, President Pepperoni getting hit by most of them. Mikey throws his weapon, which catches the robot and he throws him into the machine, getting hundreds of tickets. "Four score and 20 more tickets!"

Donnie is stuck in a ball pit, Cheery Tomato jumping on his shell repeatedly. "Oh, you're so cute, but so mean. Why do I always go for your type?" He turns around and his mechanical arms grab Cheery, shocking her enough to make her face melt. She falls into the ball pit, slowly sinking.

"This doesn't make Cheery cheery," She holds up a device and presses the button, which is slowly beeping. Donnie recognizes what's about to happen and crawls out just in time before there's an explosion.

"Oh, I'll never eat ketchup again." A ball lands on the edge, melting.

Leo attacks Albearto. "You'd think, as a birthday bot, wah!" He swings to the left before ducking. "You'd be a little more chill at a birthday party, ha!" He raises his sword before Albearto punches him. Amy runs up to Leo and swings her byakko, but it doesn't do anything. Albearto raises a broken part of the table. "No wait-" Albearto swings and Leo crashes against the manager's window, who's busy caressing his trophy to care. Leo crashes onto the ground, Amy gasping.

"Power smash jitsu!" Raph smashes his fists together, but nothing happens. Amy swings from a bench, lifting her leg and spinning around low to the ground. Electricity appears around her body, powering an electric ball at Albearto. Amy stands up in amazement, looking down at her hands. "Power smash jitsu! Or not." Nothing happens with Raph, but at least Amy's made a little progress.

"So...dancing is how you work, huh?" She murmurs.

Raph runs up to Albearto, but the robot turns around and grabs his arm.

"If I can't have a birthday party, nobody can!" Albearto declares as Raph lands on top of Leo. Mikey jumps down from the ceiling, swinging the end of his weapon.

"Cowabunga!"

"I'm going to crack you open like a birthday pinata," Albearto swipes, knocking Mikey into his two brothers. He laughs manically. "Oh, your sorry skills make me snicker." Donnie and Amy look on, Amy getting an idea. "You're no match for the King of Birthday Parties, that's for sure."

Donnie turns around to see the birthday cake Amy made, which was rolled away during the fight. "There's only one way to get through to this guy."

"He wants a birthday party, we'll give him one," Amy narrows her eyes.

"Hey Albearto," Donnie calls out, getting the robot's attention. "You know, you can't be the King of Birthday Parties without having one of your own." He reveals Amy's cake, which is decorated in his likeness. The fondant for the eyes, mustache, and hat look like the real thing as the cream is barely seen underneath the chocolate chips. Bits of strawberry are made into the tie and cheeks. "Made by my friend Amy herself."

Albearto roars before he realizes what's happening. "Wait, what? A birthday party for meesy-weesy?" He asks in delight.

"Um, yes," Amy and Donnie step over the other turtles. "I made this cake for...youseey-woozy," Amy looks disgusted that she even came up with that word. It wasn't like her at all.

"Today's the day you were born. Through a total accident that's clearly nobody's fault," Donnie glances away at the last sentence, Amy giving him a look.

"See? Look at all the detail," Amy encourages, handing over the cake.

"A birthday cakey-wakey? Oh, for meesy-weesy?" Albearto asks in wonder, taking the bait.

"Not just a cake, my friend," Donnie states as the others stand up. "We've also got a little song for ya. Happy Birthday to you," he starts, the others joining in. Albearto lets out a tear of joy.

"Happy Birthday to-" April comes out of nowhere, slamming the mallet down Albearto's head, to the other's shock. The cake lands in Donnie's face and he licks some of it off.

"Wow," He licks off some of the frosting. "Oh, Mel, you did such a great job," Donnie looks at himself. And he wasn't being sarcastic either, Amy's cake was really good. No wonder why her bakery is booming.

"Thanks for trying it," Amy mutters as her cake got destroyed. Raph tries a piece along with the others, the rest of it sliding down Donnie's face. They smile at the taste. It was so simple in execution, and yet the taste works so well for a kid's birthday party.

"Oh wow."

"This is so good!"

"I like you even more, pink-a-boo." Seriously, she's witty, clever, AND she can bake? That was a deal breaker right there. It was so good that Splinter might actually stay awake to eat it. Then again, Leo figured that she would know how to take of herself since she runs a business.

Amy rolls her eyes at Leo, trying to hide a smile.

April pants as she's covered in some purple goop for some reason, having destroyed most of Albearto's body.

"Sing with me, guys! I am finishing this party!" April shouts to them, "Happy Birthday! Finish the song!"

"Dear..."

"Kid."

"Squirt."

"Albearto?" Donnie asks in confusion, as they are all shocked and/or scared of April now. Amy wasn't gonna lie, she's never seen that side of April before in the short time that she's known her or the turtles. She must've really needed to complete that goal to keep her job...

"Happy birthday to you." The building starts to shake and the ceiling crumbles, covering them in smoke. April coughs and she looks up to see the whole place destroyed. Oh, was she in trouble now...

The turtles and Amy quickly say their goodbyes, leaving. "Have fun cleaning up, bye!" Donnie calls out.

"Best birthday ever!" Timmy exclaims, still stuck in the machine. The manager suddenly appears.

"My restaurant!"

"On the upside, I finally made it through the happy birthday song," April says optimistically.

"That tears it, O'Neil. You're-"

"Fired, yeah, figured," April takes off her nametag and gives it back to him. She holds up two peace signs. "You can mail half my paycheck to Smith's Sweets since they made the new cake. Peace." She leaves the destroyed pizza place, but no one notices Albearto's eyes turning back on...


	5. Newsworthy

"Let me start at the beginning," A video shows the turtles and Amy dealing with a one-eyed robot with two legs. "I first met the turtles and Amelia in a battle that raged on for hours." Donnie jumps up as his staff turned into a drill. "Since that first battle, I knew—that's not me, I'm over there!" The camera pans over to a small fuchsia skinned mutant worm with pink and purple stripes as well as arms. He has blonde hair brushed upright, yellow-green eyes with red pupils and thick black eyebrows. He also wears a dark blue dress coat with a yellow-green button.

"Prepare to face the awesome wrath of my incredible-" He doesn't get to finish his little monologue as Donnie lands on him.

"I knew that at this first fantastical battle, that we would meet again." While the turtles and Amy are fighting bowling pin mutants at a bowling alley, one of them lands on him. "And again." In daylight, Raph kicks a soccer ball on him, followed by the others. "And again." Warren prepares for a fight right outside Smith's Sweets during closing time, where Amy and the turtles are eating cupcakes made by the brunette herself. They seem to be enjoying them as they're helping her close up the store. Leo grins at Amy, who pushes him away by the nose playfully. Warren gets run over by a passing truck. "For I am Warren Stone, former number one news anchor and the greatest foe of the teenage mutant loser turtles and their brunette friend!" But in his videos, it's as if to the five he doesn't exist at all, since they didn't notice him or realize his presence. An oozesquito passes by in his home as he laughs to himself, checking his watch.

"Ooo, I'm late!" He jumps and lands on his face before turning on the TV to the news.

"I am Carley Montonvera, filling in for the completely forgotten Warren Stone," Warren growls at that. "The search for missing hypnotist, Mezmer-Ron and his hippopotamus, Doug, continues," No one takes note of the oozesquito lurking around. "In unrelated news, a monster hippo in a magician's tuxedo is terrorizing local magicians and stealing their trick animals." Footage shows children crying outside a theater. "And with no animals, there's no magic."

"News flash!" Warren yells, "Those wannabe hero turtles and Amy will be hot on that mutant hippo's trail, which will make setting a trap for them soooo easy," He notices the camera panning away from him and moves back in place, adjusting his collar. "With their destruction coming in my hands, I won't be reporting the news, I'll BE the news!"

A large hippo spins around in the air, landing at a ladder. It falls and the hippo screams, landing on a rooftop. The hippo looks around rapidly before walking up to a rooftop. The hippo pulls off its head before it turns out it's just Raph in a large hippo costume.

"You're sure that evil mutant hippo is around here?" He calls out, the others revealing themselves. Leo sits on the edge, holding his weapon on his shoulder. Amy pulls up on her bike near the edge, having been upgraded by Donnie. It can withstand any terrain and it creates as many seats as she wants. It's also less heavy and has a few weapons as well. "It's a million degrees in this thing."

"Uh, I'd be happy to wear it," Mikey puts on the head. "If you need a break."

"No, no, no, no!" Raph snatches the head from him, hugging the head. "I'm the leader. The leader wears the suit."

"Well, I mean he's got a point. Raph is the most hippo-like," Leo jokes, causing the other four to snicker. Leo leans in closer, raising his eyebrows at Amy. She pushes him away by the nose.

"Nice try, wonder turtle." She brushes some dirt off of her ruffled skirt.

"If I'm gonna attract him, I need a little more of that female hippo scent." Donnie and Mikey glance at Amy, who sighs and throws her perfume from behind. Donnie catches it and sprays Raph with it. "Dazzling fresh."

"You owe me another one," Amy points at Donnie.

"Help!" They hear a voice and turn around.

"That must be him."

Amy revs up her bike, jumping over the edge and landing on the road with no difficulty.

"A hippo magician is trying to saw my magic worm in half!" The voice sounds familiar as they reach the park in the kids' area. Two glowing signs point to the worm: Warren Stone in disguise. They peek over the jungle gym and the signs fall down.

"Does anyone else find this whole thing a little..." Leo starts off.

"Odd?" Donnie suggests.

"Magical?" Mikey asks.

"Suspicious?" Amy eyes the worm in disgust. She's left her bike behind.

"Totally legit!" Raph exclaims, jumping down. "Don't worry, Raph will save ya!" The crash is so powerful, Warren is out of his box. He quickly slips back in, but Raph finds himself stuck in fly paper. "Uh. Hey, hey, Raph's stuck." He wiggles around and Leo sighs, facepalming.

"Not again." The others jump down, Donnie and Leo trying to get him out. Warren laughs evilly, getting their attention.

"Stepped right into my goop trap!"

Raph lifts his head. "Your what now?"

"Goop trap!" Warren elaborates, Mikey sliding down the slide.

"Talking magic worm?!" He exclaims in awe.

"That was all a ruse," Warren takes off his disguise, "For I am Warren Stone," He takes on a pose, "Your greatest foe, and-"

Leo pokes his hair as Donnie and Amy examine him. "I'm sorry, Warren who?" He moves around the blonde hair.

"Stop it!" He waves Leo's hand off. "Stone, I'm-I'm your greatest-"

"Oh, don't tell me," Leo interrupts, laughing. "What are you, Worm Man?" Donnie pays no attention to him, Amy snickering at the name.

"Or maybe Worm Boy?" Either way, the lame names would suit him.

"No, no, no, I am-"

Raph lifts his head off. "Can someone help me get unstuck?" He asks impatiently, Leo rolling his eyes.

"Fine," Leo and Donnie walk over to him.

"Mellie, get over here."

"Don't you tell me what to do, you big oaf," Amy retorts as she walks over, trying to help Leo pull him. Mikey is swinging on one of the horses, not bothering to help at all.

"Um, greatest nemesis here," Warren calls out to get their attention and Amy turns to him with an angry look. Honestly, she had no idea what his problem was, and she didn't care.

"Don't know you and don't care. Now get lost," She raises a leg and taps her foot against the ground, electricity hitting Warren and electrocuting him slightly.

"Stop!" He yells at them, shouting and jumping to attack, but lands right on Leo's face with a loud 'plop.'

"Aah, get it off of me! Gross!" He screams, Amy laughing at him.

"Classic mistake. I may be small, but I'm also very-" Leo smacks him off his face and he turns around before cutting Warren in half! He falls onto the ground, looking dead as he doesn't move. Amy screams, covering her mouth. Just because she doesn't like mutants doesn't mean she wanted to see them dead.

"Oh! WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Raph shouts at his younger brother.

"He was on my head, I panicked!" Leo yells back in argument, his teeth chattering as he just killed a mutant. Amy looks around in shock with her mouth still covered, wondering if anyone saw that.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Mikey wonders.

"IS HE GONNA BE OKAY?!" Raph repeats, Amy covering her ears.

"Ugh, shut up!" She exclaims in annoyance before the other worm half crawls onto her shoe.

"He's in two pieces!" Raph points to it and Amy looks down, screaming in horror. She kicks in the air, the half falling near Warren.

"That's disgusting!" She scrambles away onto Leo's shoulder and he smirks down at her. Her eyes quickly look up at him before she moves away, dusting herself off.

"You fools!" He suddenly wakes up, shocking the others. They back away in panic, Leo ready to defend himself if needed. Warren clutches his chest as veins crawl up his face. "You've unleashed my ultimate power! Now I can-"

"You can clone yourself?" Mikey interrupts.

"No," Warren explains, "I regenerate. It's an amazing power, but it's incredibly painful."

Amy suddenly gets shocked slightly and her hair is covered in soot, along with her clothes. "That makes two of us," She drawls with narrowed eyes. As the turtles learned a short while ago, if Amy doesn't use her powers once in a while, they react on her own and shock her. Which meant she still needed to learn how to control them more.

"Fascinating. How long does the regeneration process take?" Donnie wonders.

"Several...days," He explains.

"And you grow back with double the strength," Mikey pumps his muscles.

"No," Warren mutters to Mikey's disappointment.

"But four times the size," Raph assumes, to Warren's confusion.

"If I don't grow back twice as strong, why would I grow back four times as big?" Warren retorts, trying to speed up the process.

"I don't understand you," Leo says slowly.

"Listen, I think there's been a misunderstanding. You see, we don't know you and we don't want to know you. So why don't you just sit there and...regenerate," Amy uses that term loosely. "While we deal with our own business?" She shakes off the soot and walks over to her bike, followed by the others. Amy pulls down her sunglasses and puts on her helmet.

"Go get some pizza now?" Raph suggests, "I'm hungry."

"Are you sure he's gonna be okay, guys?" Mikey asks as Amy presses a button, extending the back for 4 extra seats.

"Oh, I'm fine, you slumped stinking county fair prized losers!" Warren calls out, hopping up and down.

"You heard him scream, he's fine," Raph says as they climb onto the motorcycle, sighing. "I had my fists set on busting up a magic hippo. What a waste."

"Oh, I'm sure he doesn't bite," Amy waves it off as she hops into the driver's seat. "He's all bark and no bite."

"I call shotgun!" Leo jumps into the seat behind her. "And by the way, my lady, you're too good enough for a county fair."

"Gee, I'm so flattered," Amy murmurs sarcastically, turning the handle and taking off with them. At least Leo had made her laugh, that was something.

"They want to fight a magic hippo?" Warren mutters to himself. "I'll give them a magic...worm."

A door opens to a shop, where a human is eating a chocolate bar at the counter. "Uh, an anonymous source told me this is where you get...enhancements?" The cashier looks at the customer, who has robotic legs. "Mutant enhancements?" It's just Warren in a disguise, though. "Mystical mutant-"

"You're just supposed to say the password, wink," The cashier puts on air quotes when he says that. Warren removes his costume, shrugging.

"Okay...wink?"

The cashier removes his hat. "Yup, you did it again, Clem. Wink is the password," He turns into a mutant goat. He looks like he's about to slam the bell, but just taps it lightly. The shelves behind him turn green and dark, showing off what Warren was wondering about. He jumps up to the counter and his eyes shine on a blue gem.

"Give me the blue..." He points to it and Warren is handed the gem, seeing his face on it. "Now, gimme your phone. He dials the police. "Yes, I'd like to report a rampaging hippo outside the burgundy center." The police chief nods before he sends two officers to the scene. "What, my name? Uh...current occupant!" He throws the phone back to the shopkeeper. Warren places the gem on his chest, laughing manically as the gem starts to glow. The police pass right by the store, not even noticing the glowing. The police car passes by a building, the turtles and Amy already there.

"Are you sure the hippo's in there?" Leo wonders.

"Uh, yes. I picked it up on my scanner. A 'current occupant' called it in," Donnie explains, cutting open a circle in the rooftop window.

"Now explain it to me again," Raph has his arms crossed as he's out of the hippo costume. Mikey's wearing it instead. "Why can't I wear the suit?"

"We've been over this," Leo rolls his eyes. "Ames is too small for it."

"And you ruined that woman's 95th birthday," Donnie reminds him.

"She's fine!" Raph argues as Amy pulls out a card.

"On the other hand, you got me a new customer, so thank you in advance," She pats his shoulder.

"I'll do you in the suit proud," Mikey places an arm around his pouting brother.

"Treat it with respect. And be careful," Raph kicks him into the room, the others landing on the lights. Leo pulls the spotlight onto him. Mikey strikes a pose, to Leo's confusion.

"Uh, what is he doing?"

"Some mate dance he saw on Nature Planet," Donnie explains, Amy shaking her head. Mikey slides to the side.

"Hippo! I'm right here!" He shakes his tushy.

"Hippo man?" Leo says into a microphone. "Your biggest fan is here! She loves magician's animals. Bunnies, doves, tigers, and was hoping you brought some."

"And she's quite a looker," Amy calls out, glancing at the dancing Mikey. "...If you're into that."

"I hope he likes me," Mikey murmurs, continuing to dance.

"He will. Of course he'll like you, you're adorable. But you're even more adorable, my pink-a-boo," Leo places a fist to his chin, leaning towards Amy. She stands up and joins Mikey near a desk, ignoring him. Leo just shrugs. "Everyone's a critic."

"Breaking news!"

They turn to the desk, ready to fight the hippo. The four spotlights turn to the desk. "You may have beaten me before, but I'm a little tougher this time." Purple hands clap as the chair turns around. "You see, I've enhanced myself. I've really grown into my role as your greatest nemesis! I'm really 'pumped' for our little test!" Warren reveals himself in a buff body and they look in disgust.

"Jumping Jack Flash!"

"Okay."

They stare at him, Amy looking away. "You're not a hippo...are you?" Raph asks to Warren's irritation.

"No I'm not a hippo! Do I look like a hippo to you?" He flexes his new muscles, Donnie measuring him.

"Hm, maybe a baby hippo?" He suggests.

"He looks like something, alright," Amy murmurs to Raph.

"I am not a hippo and please stop interrupting me! I called in the hippo sighting," He exclaims, Mikey removing the head.

"Guys! H-He's current occupant!" Mikey realizes, pointing to him.

"Oh cripes, not another one of your 'traps'," Amy facepalms, getting annoyed with the worm pestering them.

"See, he gets it," Warren gestures to himself. "I am current occupant."

"And we're here to save you from the hippo magician. Where is he?" Mikey disregards him and puts the head back on.

"No, you green idiot! It was a ruse! There is no hippo! I'm Warren Stone, your greatest nemesis! Prepare to meet-" Something crashes into the building behind him, revealing the real mutant hippo. He's large with dark grey skin and has yellow eyes with red pupils. He has his black hair and goatee, as well as the same outfit he was wearing before his mutation.

"Ta da! Hypnopotamus has arrived!" His three razor rings land in his hand and Warren growls at him. Raph pushes him away.

"Finally, the thing we actually care about," He pushes Mikey. "You're on, Mikey." The costume smells of Amy's perfume, which attracts the hippo mutant. He slides right over to Mikey and dips him. "Hello, future Mrs. Hypnopotamus." He winks at Mikey, apparently attracted to him.

"You tease. Oh my," Mikey fake swoons as Hypnopotamus makes kissy noises, grossing out Leo and Amy while doing Raph ad Donnie proud. Mikey slides over to them, revealing his true face. "See? My hippo is more hippo-ey."

Hypnopotamus continues kissing the head before he realizes that it's a ruse. He screams, looking around and seeing the turtles. They laugh sheepishly, Amy rolling her eyes.

"Pulled the old 'False Ginny' on me. Ugh!" He groans, closing his eyes. "I gotta say, this has been the worst mating season." He takes a look at Amy, smelling the same scent. "Or maybe not!" He pulls out his three rings and they float in the air.

"Oh, that is a well-dressed mutant hippo," Leo points at him and they ready their weapons.

"Fellas, and Mellie, let's smash this guy!" One by one, they dash towards him as Warren looks up, having been cut in half by the explosion.

"No, smash this guy! This one right here! Me!" He tries to grab them, but fails. "Oh, come on!"

Leo jumps up to attack, but he blocks with one of his rings. Amy jumps up next, ready to use her spear, but Hypnopotamus grabs her in his hand.

"Put me down!" She struggles in his grip.

"How would you like to be the future Mrs. Hypnopotamus?" He sniffs her perfume and she groans.

"How about I puke? I told you guys we shouldn't have used my perfume," She hacks up her throat and spits in his face, making him drop her. He attacks them all using his magic and Raph leaps into the air, using his smash jitsu. The hippo moves out of the way, throwing his rings. Raph punches them and moves back, covering his area before the others laugh at him. They jump into the air, but Hypnopotamus is prepared for them.

"Mezmer-Roon!" He uses a shout to put them into a trance, laughing evilly. "Now, which one should I take care of next?" He gestures to Raph. "Big Red? Baby Blue?" He looks at Leo next and then Amy, taking note of her blonde locks. "Barbie Lou? No," the hippo chuckles, "I think I'll start with you, you jiving trickster," He moves a ring near Mikey. Warren scoffs at him.

"Some nemesis," He rolls his eyes. "He doesn't even know their names." He looks down and sees a discarded trophy of his former self, smiling to look like himself again...he growls and turns to the hippo as he's holding Mikey. He then looks to his gem as the mutant slams down Mikey.

"This could get messy. Like me gum boots in a downy drench," He throws the ring at Mikey, but Warren gets in the way.

"Breaking news," The ring is caught into his hair as he crosses his arms. "If anyone is gonna end these guys, it's going to be me!" He removes the ring and throws it away.

"Sorry, who-who-who are you?" Hypnopotamus bends down to him, catching his ring.

"Warren," His hair splits in half and he licks his hands, fixing it. "I'm Warren 'Bad Boy' Stone. I hate these turtle punks and Amelia more than anyone. And that's why I have to stop you!"

The hippo just laughs at him, "I'm laughing. Prepare to be Mezmer-rooon," He fires the trance from his mouth again and Warren looks at his gem.

"This is really gonna hurt," He removes the gem from his chest and uses it to reflect the blast back to the mutant hippo. He's put into his own trance and falls onto the ground. The gem falls onto the ground, breaking it into pieces. Warren falls onto the ground, no longer tall and buff, but now naked. "Turtles, Amelia, finally we can start-" Leo lands on him, rubbing his head.

"What just happened?" He murmurs to himself as the others snap out of it. They have no memory of the previous events. Raph steps on the mutant hippo's chest.

"I think we won."

"My plan must've worked," Donnie shrugs as Amy looks down at him.

"And it was my plan to use your plan. You're welcome, everybody," Raph crosses his arms, Donnie looking annoyed.

"I think by rejecting him, I broke his heart," Mikey removes the costume, pushing it into Donnie's arms. "Whew, sheesh, this has too much power!"

"Considering how it's pink-a-boo's, it works," Leo leans on Amy's shoulder and she pushes his face away.

"Well, at least the jolly old kids can be happy again," Amy crosses her arms with a small grin.

"No!" Warren shouts and they look around before Leo shows Warren stuck in his...well, derriere. "I saved you losers turtles by hypnotizing that beast and saving your lives!"

"You wanna help me?" Leo smirks at Amy.

"I am not touching that turtle booty," Amy moves away and Leo pulls Warren out, ripping him in half.

"And you are?" Leo asks, Warren pouting in anger.


	6. Repo Mantis

**Angel: This is actually Chapter 6, not chapter 4, because I changed things around. Sorry if you got all hyped for Down with the Sickness XD**

Donnie lifts the trunk of a car at the junkyard, Mikey looking over it. "Man! Junkyards are gold mines!" The mechanical arms from his shell explore and he sniffs a pineapple car freshener, to Mikey's boredom. "Who needs real pineapples when you have one of these babies?"

One of the cars starts to move near them. "Don't say that to Amy, she uses fruit sometimes in her muffins," Mikey warns.

"Oh, I so want one right now," Donnie could just imagine. Mikey turns around to see the car and points up to it.

"Donnie, Donnie!"

"Oh, fuzzy dice!" Donnie doesn't notice as he's still looking.

"Donnie, I really think we should-" The car drops from the magnet and Mikey pulls Donnie out of the way before they could get crushed. They tumble down the tower of cars before eventually landing in one.

"Mikey, next time I would appreciate a heads-up," Donnie states.

"Okay, heads-up!" Mikey moves the rearview mirror to see a large car being brought into the junkyard. And it's not just any old car. "Is that?"

Donnie gasps at it, his eyes shining. "It is."

"The Jupiter Jim Moon Buggy!" Mikey exclaims happily.

"Featured in not one, not two, but 60 sequels of Jupiter Jim's Last Trip to the Moon!" Donnie says in excitement. The moon buggy gets thrown away before landing on its wheels.

"How can anybody let that historical gem slip through their fingers?" Mikey wonders in dismay.

"I do not know, Michael, but we gotta have it," Donnie says in determination before busting the car door open. They sneak over to another car that has a cat inside one of the broken headlights.

"How are we gonna get the car? We can't go up and talk to one of those human people," Mikey points out and the car right next to them is lifted up into the air by a bright purple mutant mantis. He has long arms with jagged shoulders and forearms and two antenna on his head. He also has bright green eyes, black hair with a grey streak, styled in a 1950s comb-over, and jagged teeth. The mantis mutant wears a white tank top, a dark blue vest and a black belt with spikes and a "V" engraved on the buckle.

"Who the heck are yous?" He demands.

"Oh no, a mutant!" Donnie yells before he realizes what he said. "Wait, we're mutants too, it's okay." They both sit up.

"Dude, you better hide. There's a human guy around here," Mikey points to something.

"Easy, easy," He throws the car away. "This is Repo Mantis Salvage," He points to the sign. "The guy is me."

"This is your lot?" Mikey wonders before his face turns into pleading. "You have to sell us that moon buggy! Please!"

Donnie pulls him away to talk. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Cool your scram jets, bud. This is a negotiation," He glances at Repo Mantis before turning back to his brother. "We gotta play it smooth." They both put on sunglasses, approaching the moon buggy. Mikey tells the tires as Donnie runs his finger against the paint. "So, uh, how much are you gonna pay us to take this pile of junk to take off your hands, amigo?"

"Scram," Repo looks at a clipboard. "I gotta lotta fenders to count."

"I see you drive a hard bargain, sir. Well, perhaps I can interest you in a little coin," Donnie opens up his wallet, revealing a coupon from Smith's Sweets and a few coins. "I've got big silver, small silver, and I can make it rain copper, daddy," He drops some pennies near Repo Mantis and he glances at the mutant turtle.

"Eh, you ain't got nearly enough, but say..." He gets an idea, "I could use a couple of tough muties like you." He turns around fully. "You ever do any repo work?"

Mikey jumps in front of Donnie. "Of course!" He lowers his glasses. "No, what's repo work?"

"It's when you take stuff back," He cuts a rearview mirror off from a car behind him, "From deadbeats who didn't pay for it. Do a job for me today, and I'll let ya have that moon buggy thing."

"We're in!" Mikey agrees immediately.

"And sidebar," Donnie pulls Mikey away.

"Look, Mikey, repo men have to be mean. And I don't know if you know this, but you're kind of a softie," Donnie points out.

"That really hurts my feelings," Mikey has a look of realization. "Oh. You have a point. But I can do this. Hard as nails," He clenches his fists and growls to make a point. Mikey turns back to Repo Mantis, pointing at him. "We're in. What's the skinny, chico?"

"I need you to get an RV from a real shady mutant. Holes up in the woods on the wrong side of tracks, in the darkest outskirts of the bad part of town."

Mikey and Donnie glance at each other.

* * *

Meanwhile, Leo is venturing by himself on the rooftops. He was hoping to visit Amy and see if she wanted to go with him out on the town. He didn't really have anything planned, he just wanted to have fun with her. He backflips onto the building next to Amy's, where a single lit window can be seen from his view. Two shadows look like they're arguing, but he can clearly see that one of them is Amy from the hair.

"Get out NOW!" An older woman shouts, which is a Spanish accent and definitely not Amy. The woman throws something and Amy ducks. Leo quickly moves into action and peeks into the window, where a plate is broken on the living room floor.

"Just calm down, you don't need to do this!" Amy warns the woman, who has Amy's hair and eyes, but looks to be from Spanish descent in her 40s. She wears a white sleeved shirt, dark jeans, and black flats. The older woman tackles her and starts to pull at her hair. Amy swats around, trying to get her off. A little piggy is pulling on the older woman's pants from behind, trying to help. Leo bursts inside on instinct and pulls the older woman away from Amy.

"Hey, lady, I don't know who you are, but I think you might be confused. This isn't your apartment," Leo warns and Amy looks up at him, shocked that he was even here.

"Leo, please don't hurt her," Amy begs and he turns to her, confused.

"What? But-"

"Please..." She looks like she's about to cry and Leo's look softens. He's never seen her with that look before, but it pained him to see her like this. He kneels down in front of her and stares at her face. She could only look at him as she tries to hold in her tears.

"...Okay," He answers, gently wiping her unshed tears to make them go away. Leo didn't like that look because her tears would ruin that face that he liked so much. The piggy jumps in between them, startling them both.

"You are not my daughter! You tricked me! Go away!" The older woman shouts, pointing to Amy. She grabs a fish tank and Leo covers Amy as it hits the wall above them, covering Amy's hair in water.

"OUUUUUUT!" The woman screams and Leo places Amy on his shoulder, scrambling out the window and jumping onto the rooftop. Amy pants as he puts her down, placing a hand to her temple. Amy could feel the bruise that she left from the...fight.

"Sooo..." Leo places his hands behind his back. "What's up with the senile lady in your home?"

Amy parts her hair in two to look at him and stands up, flipping her wet hair to her back. And then she explained something he never thought he'd expected.

"Leo...that was my mother."

* * *

Out on the outskirts, Mikey and Donnie tumble out of a moving truck. "Thanks for the ride!" Mikey calls out, shocking two bystanders near a bus stop. Donnie and Mikey walk through the dark part of the woods, Donnie using a flashlight from his shoulder.

"I ran a profile on this guy. Lawless loner, doesn't pay his bills, lives in this very spooky forest." A crow flies right above them as proof. "He is a 98% match for the spine-breaking bandit!" They quickly hide behind the bushes as they hear a sound. Right in front of them is the same RV they're looking for.

"Psh," Mikey scoffs, "I'm not scared of some no-good forest dweller! Let's see 'im!" He moves parts of the bush away. "There's his RV!"

Just then, the door to the vehicle opens and snarling teeth can be seen. The two turtles scream, landing on the grass behind them.

"That's the biggest forest dweller I've ever seen!" Mikey exclaims.

"He is totally gonna break our spines. Maybe we should call Raph and Leo," Donnie reaches out to his device, but Mikey stops him.

"No, no!" He grabs his brother. "No, no, no! We got this. Think of all the boss adventures we could have in the moon buggy." Two footsteps are approaching them as they're speaking.

Donnie sighs in defeat, as he could really see something useful for the team if he gave the moon buggy some upgrades. "Alright. If you are dead set on doing this, we gotta go stealth. Sneak-jitsu 101: Never let a spine-breaker get behind you," Donnie states, right when someone is near them and turns on a flashlight, frightening them once more. "Oh, he's behind us! He is directly behind us!"

Dogs come onto the scene and start barking, scaring them and causing them to jump and land in front of a fence. The owner steps up to them and they gasp before a light is turned on, revealing a friendly blond mutant capybara.

"Hey, I'm Todd!" He greets happily. "Welcome to Cuddle Cares Puppy Rescue." The 'threatening' dogs are revealed to be a bunch of puppies. "The puppyiest place on Earth!" He chuckles as Donnie looks at the sign.

"Puppies. Right," He says sarcastically, as it was hard to believe _this_ guy was actually a threat. "And which one are you having for dinner?"

"Oh, right! It's dinner time!" Todd pulls a lever and a pile of dog food is traveled to a half pipe, shocking Donnie and Mikey by how many he has.

* * *

"Your mother?" Leo asks in shock as he starts to help Amy with her head wound. "I hate to break it to you, pink-a-boo, but she doesn't seem like she knows you."

"That's because she has capgras delusion," Amy states, cringing at the wipe being pressed to her temple. "Ow!"

"Sorry, sorry," Leo moves the towel away and sees her eyes. He couldn't help but notice that there's a sparkle to them, like a real emerald. All the time, he couldn't stop thinking about her, and he keeps having dreams of seeing her again. All of his thoughts were about her. Her smile, her laugh, her snarky remarks. He thought about the way how silky her hair was and how much he wanted to feel it. How different she was from other girls, how she eventually gave him a chance and made him feel...less like a rebel sometimes.

"Leo?"

He snaps out of it and sees that they were pretty close for comfort. Leo couldn't help but run his hand through her bang, both of them mesmerized at each other. The piggy moves Leo's hand away by pushing it angrily. "So wh-what's up with the pig?" He stammers, his voice almost going into a high pitch. Amy smirks at him.

"Are you always this eloquent?" She wonders and his face turns beet red as he's usually smoother than this! And yet in just one question, she managed to rile him up.

"This is Chewbacon," Amy holds him up, as the piggy almost resembles something out of a movie character that Leo couldn't name right now. "I've had him for as long as I can remember...he's pretty protective of me at times, but I love him," She hugs her piggy and he snorts happily.

"And...what's Capgras delusion?" Leo wonders, glancing at the angry look directed at him from Chewbacon. Amy puts Chewbacon down and shoos him away to go back home. Chewbacon looks at Leo and slides his paw over his throat as a threat before he leaves. Leo looks a little disturbed at the action.

 _Regular pigs don't eat turtles, right?_

"It's a rare mental disorder. She believes that family members have been replaced by duplicates. She can see that someone looks and talks exactly like them, but her ability to feel any love for them is gone." Amy stands up, arms crossed. "Which completely severed her emotional responses to anyone in the family."

 _Which also meant her..._

Leo couldn't help but ask, "How did it happen?"

Amy pauses as she looks at her living room window. "Car accident," Her voice breaks slightly as she's trying not to cry. "I wanted to get some oreos for a cake I was making and...it just happened. I lost my older brother and my deaf little sister on the same day...she was only nine," She sniffs as she turns away from the window. "You and your brothers wondered why I hate mutants...it's because a mutant caused the accident."

"...Baron Draxum," He says in realization. Baron WAS acting like he knew Amy...

She makes her hands into fists, squeezing her eyes shut. "The doctors said...there's no cure. She'll be stuck like this forever..." She sniffles as she covers her mouth. "Sorry..."

"You don't need to apologize for this," Leo tells her gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay..."

"It's not okay!" She turns to him sharply. "She attacks me whenever she sees me...every time I try to get through to her...she shows signs of remembering me...but then it fades away..."

Leo didn't know what to do. He never met anyone who had that type of situation. He wanted to be there for her, but how can he even do that if he doesn't know what to do? All he could was hug her and Amy had no problem with it. He could tell she needed a good hug. Amy hugs him back slowly, glad that he wasn't trying to charm her this time. Amy felt so warm, he didn't want to let go...

"...So if she doesn't remember you, why bother staying? Why didn't you tell us?"

She lets out a tired sigh and pulls away from him, as if she's heard this before. He already missed her warm skin against his. "She's my mother. She's all I got," Amy murmurs, hugging herself. "I couldn't tell you because I wasn't ready...Not even changing my name helped anything."

Okay, he could relate to only having one parent.

"So..." Leo rubs his neck, curious. "What was your original name?"

"Alina Elisa Santiago," She takes a deep breath as she hasn't said that name in years. Most of the time, she doesn't think of it. It felt...weird. "I changed it when she turned into...that," She gestures to the window as the woman is throwing things and screaming. So she was a Latina...he found both of her names equally as pretty. "I love her, but...I can't share a name with her. I just can't. It's too much," Amy closes her eyes, looking more upset than she did before.

Leo stands up with a smirk, getting an idea. "Do you need some ice cream, my lady?"

"What?" Amy looks annoyed because of the way he asked. It almost sounded like how he normally talked to her. "No, I don't want—okay, fine." She changed her mind because she needed something to take the edge off.

"Come on," Leo hoists her up piggyback style and she doesn't protest as he starts to walk.

* * *

Donnie and Mikey sit on the bench in front of the RV, covered in blankets. "Hey, you guys want some of my internet famous, homemade lemonade? I donate it to folks in Alaska who need a little sunshine." He places down two cups that have ice and a wedge of lemon in the lemonade. Mikey and Donnie slowly take sips, eyes widening.

"Oh wow, this is pretty good."

"This honestly tastes exactly like sunshine. Wow!" He looks at Mikey, who's happily sipping. "And sidebar," He pushes Mikey a few feet away from Todd. "Cute puppies, non-profit lemonade," He finishes his cup. "This is no spine-breaking bandit!"

"He's the nicest guy in the world," Mikey whispers. Todd was really harmless, but...

"But we need that RV. We gotta be tough with him," Donnie states, taking a bite of lemon. "Hard as nails!"

Mikey sips his drink beyond to the point where it's finished, making a loud slurping sound. "Got it." They boldly walk up to the bench and sit down, looking serious. "So, Todd, let's get down to business about your RV."

"Sure thing!" Todd takes one of the puppies. "Could you hold Willis?"

"Oh, uh, I-I don't know if I-no!" Willis walks up to him, barking. Mikey was trying to be tough here, but he can't. "Aww! You little mischief maker!" Donnie pushes away one of the puppies rolling to him. "Wait a minute! We're supposed to be talking about your RV!"

"Look, Todd," Donnie gets to the point. "You haven't made a payment in two years and that means-"

"Yeah," Todd interrupts as he knows, "Turns out all you get for rescuing puppies are million-dollar smiles. Ooo, Beado wants his belly rubbed!" The puppy in front of Donnie barks and he pushes him away again.

"My hard as nails brother and I are here to-" He sees that Mikey is no longer sitting next to him and looks to see Mikey wearing a vest that has multiple milk bottles attached.

"And I'll call you Indiana Bones, and you Little Bones."

"Mikey, come on-" A ball is thrown at Donnie's face and he swats it away, looking away.

"Oh ho ho! Melvin wants to play!" Todd chuckles as a brown puppy has the blue ball in his mouth. "Could you toss the ball?"

"Okay, fine," Donnie takes the puppy and the ball. "I will toss the ball if you give us the keys to your-!" He chucks the ball, but his eyes widen. "I'm in something squishy. I'm in something squishy!" He looks down at the ground.

"Oh yeah, I'm so swamped, I never get to clean the yard up. You guys are so good at this!" He leaves and comes back a second later with two shovels. "Do you wanna grab a couple of shovels?" He holds them out, Donnie looking annoyed.

* * *

It's quiet as Amy has her head rested on her palm that's on Leo's shoulder.

Amy is soft. He didn't realize how soft until just now. He hasn't really thought about it at all before this moment and now he's focused on this fact. But she is. Very soft.

Under her weight he can feel the warm muscles shifting, sliding with his movement, bulging and hanging on with effort. He wants to touch her further, but he can't. She's trembling from the cold water and she should feel embarrassed about being cared by Leo out of all people like this, like a sack of potatoes, but she actually doesn't care about that anymore.

"Leo?" She murmurs softly.

"Yes, my lady?" He asks with _such_ smoothness. Really, it's _so_ drawn to her. Notice how sarcastic she feels thinking that.

"Thank you...for not hurting my mother," She tells him and he says nothing. All he does is continue walking. The one time when she's actually nice to him and he says nothing. How ungrateful.

"...Well, you asked me not to. I couldn't just turn you down with that face...you looked so sad. And...I wanna know more about you. You're such a mystery to me and I hardly know anything about you. I wanna figure you out. So if you want me to keep this a secret, then I will. It'll be just between us, I promise."

She couldn't help but feel so touched. Yeah, she was cynical with him, but...she's never opened up to anyone like this before. Especially to someone like Leo. It felt kind of...nice and relieving to get stuff like this off her chest. And Leo actually listened. He didn't sound witty at all when he said that. He sounded...genuine.

"...I'm that interesting, huh?" She jokes and he lets out a laugh.

"You always were. It's just a shame that you don't open up that often. I like talking with you without a sarcastic comment. But then again, that's what I like about you."

She stays silent, not knowing what to say. There was nothing _to_ say after he just said all of that.

"Hey, we're here!"

Amy looks up to see the ice cream shop and Leo turns to her with that same, kinda stupid, smirk. But really, to her, it was kind of...getting to her. "Hold on, pink-a-boo."

He jumps down and Amy gasps, hugging him close.

* * *

Donnie and Mikey shovel all of the poop into the truck behind them. It gets sent away and they both look disgusted.

"Why did we just do that?" Mikey wonders.

"I don't know, Michael. I don't know," Donnie closes his eyes, wanting to put the past hour or so out of his mind. "Niceness is his superpower!"

Todd appears from the RV with more lemonade. "You guys must be exhausted." Mikey gasps at the drink. "Why don't you sleepover? In the morning, I can hold Sir Chomps-a-lot while you guys floss his giant fangs!"

"That sounds grea-No, no! We didn't come here to help you," Donnie throws down the shovel. "We came to repo your RV!"

Todd sits down on the steps, sulking. He looks up at the two, tears falling from his eyes. "Yeah, I guess me and the pups will just sleep under the stars tonight." He slurps up snot. Suddenly, dark clouds appear above them and it starts to rain. Mikey and Donnie look up, as there was nothing in the weather about rain. It was as if Todd did it himself. The puppies all look as sad as Todd does. "And every night. During puppy hurricane season."

Mikey wipes his eyes as dirt lands on Donnie's cheek. One of the puppies walks up to them with an umbrella, trying to undo it.

"I can't do it!" Mikey sobs, bending down to the puppy and opening the slightly damaged umbrella.

"Okay," Donnie pinches his nose, defeated. "Todd," He clears his throat. "How about you trade us that dusty RV and we make you a new place to sleep? Huh?" It was the best solution and besides, he couldn't stand this anymore.

Todd gasps, looking up at him. "Really? And a place to feed the puppies? And bath and-and diaperr and play with them?"

"Yes," Donnie sighs slowly.

"I don't suppose-"

"Yes, obviously there will be robot assistants!" Donnie interrupts, not wanting to add more to the list. Seriously, this guy was a piece of work. "And I'll even call a friend of ours so she can put her own touch to it!"

* * *

Amy and Leo are laughing together as they both have ice cream cones in their hands. Leo's got chocolate and Amy has strawberry and birthday cake in two scoops. Leo was telling her stories about his brothers and in turn, she'd tell him a story about the bakery.

"Wait, wait, so you actually put sauerkraut in a wedding cake? How'd it even taste?" Leo wonders, still laughing.

"Exactly as I expected—terrible!" Amy roars in laughter. "It was so bad, the bride chucked it out the window and she swore to never give me specific ingredients again!"

They both laugh and Amy shivers slightly. The cold water from her hair was getting to her and the ice cream didn't make things better, even with her own jacket. Leo looks around and gives a little smile, jumping off the building edge. Amy glances down at him in confusion at why he was leaving, but then he comes back with an oversized black jacket and places it over her. Amy looks at him in surprise, snuggling into it.

"What, you're not cold?"

"Nah," Leo waves it off. "You need it more."

"Heh. I'll make a gentleman out of you yet, wonder turtle."

"And I'll make you like me even more, my lady~"

Amy rolls her eyes, taking another lick of her creamy treat. "So...did you...have an accent?" Leo asks slowly, as he wanted to know what her old voice sounded like.

"You mean like my mother?" She asks, turning to him as she clutches her jacket.

"Well...yeah," He coughs slightly and she rolls her eyes playfully.

"I haven't spoken with my accent in years, but...Solia sonar asi," She speaks, "Which means I used to sound like this."

"Huh...cool," Leo smiles as he mesmerizes her accent. To be honest, he didn't care what she sounded like because...well...she was still Amy with or without her accent.

She looks out at the view and they could see most of the city. Her eyes soften slightly. "Hey...do you think my mom will ever be...my mom again?"

Leo thinks to himself, looking out over the town as he doesn't answer. How was he supposed to respond to that? As far as he knew, there wasn't a cure since it was so rare.

"Right, that was a rhetorical question," She murmurs as it seemed like it was so hopeless now...

"Pink-a-boo...your mom will see how great you are. And if she doesn't...well, you've got me," He jerks a thumb to himself and Amy shakes her head.

"What, with my oh-so-lovable personality?" She jokes and he laughs.

"Yes, with your oh-so-lovable personality that my brothers and I actually are starting to like."

Amy snorts at him. "That was kinda cheesy."

"But you like it when I'm cheesy~"

"Maybe I do, and maybe I don't." Amy smirks and she suddenly gets a phone call from Donnie. She looks at her phone and answers it. "What is it, sci-fi turtle?" Leo could only assume it was Donnie, since he was the science fiction fan. "You need me to do what? Okay, okay, I'll be right over." Leo turns to her as she stands up with a small sigh. "Your brothers need me for...something." Donnie didn't really go over the details. Amy pulls out a black remote and presses a red button, her motorcycle appearing out of nowhere and landing behind her. She slips off the jacket and holds it out to the lime-green turtle, who shakes his head.

"No. You keep it. As a souvenir."

"Thanks, wonder turtle," She smiles and hops onto her bike. "You need a ride?"

"I can walk, pink-a-boo. Don't worry about me."

"I'm not worried," She deadpans as she puts on her helmet. "Bye...and thanks for the ice cream."

Leo smiles slightly and waves her off. Amy revs up her bike but as she's leaving, Amy and Leo take one last look at each other. She smiles slightly as they briefly stare into each other's eyes. He watches her until she leaves and sighs, starting on the way back home. Maybe...just maybe if he gets her to open up more and take down that wall she's got, he'd have a chance.

* * *

The next morning, Todd holds up a pistol. "And go!" A sign with 'go' on it bursts out when he pulls the trigger. Mikey holds out cut planks while Donnie gets his mechanical tools ready. Amy walks up to them with a clipboard while wearing a hard hat and goggles.

"Tell me again why I came out to Long Island when I could be in my soft and relaxing bed," Amy replies and Mikey turns to her.

"We told you! We need a feminine touch around here and your bakery was on 'Bakery Interior' Magazine!" Mikey holds out the magazine as proof.

"We need all the help we can get," Donnie states.

"Soooo why not call your brothers? Wouldn't it make, I don't know, sense to do that?" She wonders sarcastically.

"No! We need to be hard as nails to get that moon buggy!" Donnie yells and she rolls her eyes.

"Yes, yes, keep telling me all about it in the papers. Let's get this over with." She points forward and they run to a pile of supplies needed. Donnie cuts a hole into a plank and later, they elevate a metal pole. Todd pulls a puppy head statue while Amy is telling them where everything goes. They work for days to include everything Todd needs as Donnie's invented a frisbee thrower. Even Mikey plays with it. About a few more days later, they've completed their goal with a play area, a bath area, and more.

"Thanks guys! I'll never forget you!" Todd calls out as the two turtles are in the RV, looking exhausted. Amy looks equally as tired as she mounts her bike, putting on her helmet. "And come back! If you ever wanna milk the puppies. They have eight nipples!"

"No! Stop, no!" Donnie shouts, not wanting to be roped into doing anything else. Besides, he didn't need to know that last part.

"And thank you, young lady," Todd turns to Amy. "You designed a great place! Come and meet the puppies whenever you want!"

"No," Amy deadpans, sneezing slightly before she takes off, Donnie and Mikey following behind her.

"Hard as nails!" They both exclaim, Amy rolling her eyes.

* * *

They arrive back at Repo Mantis Salvage with Amy, happy to be getting that buggy.

"Alright!"

"We did it! Eh, Repo! One RV as promised. Wax up that moon buggy, baby," Mikey rubs the window, Amy placing a foot down on the ground to steady herself.

"Not bad, not bad," Repo Mantis looks slightly impressed. "But what had happened was...I ain't giving it to ya," He gestures to the moon buggy. "Turns out dorky Jupiter Jim fans will pay big bucks just to sit in that thing."

"What?" Donnie asks angrily because of all of the work they had to do just to get it. "We had a deal, buddy-o!"

"Scraping is a tricky business, kids. And you got tricked!" Repo exclaims, both Mikey and Donnie upset.

"I told you not to believe in shady business like this," Amy gestures to Repo.

"Thanks for the girl, though. I can make use of her."

"You can make use of nothin', because you're not getting all this," Amy gestures to her body. "I've sworn off on associating myself with the likes of you."

"We are not leaving without our moon buggy!" Donnie states as he gets in Repo's face.

"Hey!" Repo pushes Donnie away. "Purple one's funny."

"I keep telling you guys I'm funny," Donnie gives a smug look to Mikey and Amy.

Repo slams his mantis hands into metal. "I'm gonna break your hands halfway through, twice!"

"Not if I break you first, antenna boy," Amy jumps away from his attack and raises her hands like she's holding a gun. She moves them from the bottom left to the right side, bringing up her forearms to shoot a bolt of electricity at Repo Mantis, knocking him back.

"Mikey, the magnet!" Donnie calls out and Mikey swings his chain at the crane behind him, capturing the lever and pulling it. Repo's arms are lifted up in the air and the magnet captures him, along with anything metal. Luckily for Amy, her bike had nothing metal on it.

"A deal's a deal, chico!" Mikey shouts as he and Donnie run to the moon buggy. Amy rushes over to her bike.

"Is there anything magnets can't do?" Donnie wonders as they jump in. The door lowers and closes them in, Mikey looking in awe. Donnie pulls down some levers and starts it up. "Tally-ho! Eat trailer dust, bug man!"

Amy immediately follows after them, Repo Mantis running. He jumps into a truck and pulls the lever, chuckling as he drives after them.

"Man, this thing is super slow," Donnie looks at someone riding his bike.

"Of course it is. It was built for the gravity of the moon," Mikey explains and Amy pulls up next to them, shaking her head at the buggy. Suddenly, Repo's truck slams into them. Amy revs her bike, tilting it slightly in the air before speeding after them.

"Give me back my dork mobile!" He screams in rage.

"Moon core lasers, activate!" Mikey declares, pressing a button. They look behind them as nothing happens. "Crater dust cloud!" Again, nothing.

"Should that do anything?" Donnie wonders.

"Zero atmosphere gadget missiles?" He presses three more and one of them breaks. "Aw, nuts." Repo slams into them again and he giggles as he appears between the buggy and Amy. He proceeds to hit her first, but her bike stretches into metal arms from the wheels, lifting itself and Amy over the truck.

"What?!" Repo shouts in disbelief and Amy waves to him teasingly. He growls and slams into the moon buggy instead.

"It's a movie vehicle, pal. They wouldn't load it up with the movie's heavy artillery," Donnie deadpans.

"Not if it's the moon buggy from Jupiter Jim's 3rd Last Trip to the Moon!" He pulls the board off. "I'm kicking it Jupiter Jim turbo mode!" He pulls the core and purple flames come out of the back. Mikey waves at Repo Mantis, making a face as they speed away, causing a man to drop his groceries. Amy salutes at Repo, picking up speed to follow them.

"I can't shake him!" Donnie exclaims.

"I'll try the gravity grease 3000!" Mikey presses a button and oil comes out from the side, spraying people on the street. Amy covers herself from being splatted in oil. Repo and his truck slide around, hitting the buggy.

"I think we got people pretty oily!" Donnie calls out as they're hit once more. Repo honks and slams into them, knocking off the door in the process.

"Maybe the bug zapper will-"

"Really? There is a bug zapper. BUT WHY DIDN'T YOU TRY THAT FIRST?" Donnie replies, annoyed.

"It didn't have 3000 after it!" Mikey shrugs and Amy facepalms, even though she has a helmet on. A marker comes from Donnie's shell, writing 3,000 underneath bug zapper.

"There, happy?"

"Why, thank you," Mikey presses the button and the bug zapper comes out the back, sending an electric ball at the truck. Repo sees it as a lantern.

"Oh...what a pretty tone of blue." He screams as he's defeated, Mikey, Amy, and Donnie driving away in their respective vehicles riding off into the sunset.

"Hard as nails!" They both cheer as they high three, a jaguar growl sound effect going off to show their fierceness and a mission accomplished. Jupiter Jim would be proud. Outside the city, Todd and the puppies watch the three from a distance.

"Those guys..."


	7. Down with the Sickness

**Angel: Finally finished! Don't know when I'll post the other episodes. I know Shell in a Cell already premiered, but that's 3 episodes away. Maybe sometime next week depending on when the next 2 episodes are posted online, their airing schedule is just wonky right now. And if you didn't know, I already posted Donnie's Gifts in case you didn't read it. Also, thank you to RedBat132 and gregorian12 for trying to help me with this episode. I did use your ideas (to an extent), so credit goes to you two.**

Down in the lair, Amy and Raph are playing Dance Dance Revolution. The others are watching them. The two friends are neck-and-neck as they haven't missed a single move for who knows how long. It's an intense match indeed.

"I don't think he's got this," Leo states smugly.

"Hey!" Mikey turns to him as Amy wipes the sweat off her forehead. "Leave him alone."

"Well, I'm just saying, he doesn't have this," Leo shrugs like he didn't care.

"You're just trying to get in my head," Raph denies as Amy taps the board, spinning around.

"Oh my peaches and cream, they just doubled," Donnie says in shock, Mikey grinning. Leo gasps at Amy in awe.

"I'm not losing to you, muscle turtle!" She declares as she does a split and comes back up on her feet in one swift motion. Her electricity looms around her, but she's got it under control. It doesn't affect her or anything else around her as long as she's focused.

A pair of purple legs walks around a room, groaning and coughing.

Raph dances even faster. "Rag, now!"

Mikey wipes his sweaty forehead. "Have I ever told you how big and beautiful you are?"

"No, but thank you," Raph tells him, spinning around. Amy moves up her arms as she slides to her left, placing her hand on her hip as she shakes them.

"Come on, Amy, win the big points!" Leo encourages her. Amy takes a deep breath, flaring up as she dances faster.

"Oh, they're about to set a new high score. I can't watch, but I can't not watch!" Donnie replies as Raph glares slightly at his opponent. Amy slides to her right, doing a little dance. Leo couldn't help but be in awe of her.

"Water," She calls out and Leo hands it to her. Instead of drinking it, she splashes it in her face, looking energized.

The purple hand knocks down some items, including a picture of him and his turtles. The body staggers as he knocks down some antiques, coughing.

Amy stomps down on her panel as Leo pushes down Donnie to see. "You know what they say about big time moments?"

The brunette pulls her hair into a bun. "Let's do this, Amy. You can do it!"

"Yes, I do. They say that in a big time moment, leaders make-" They hear a scream and turn around, Raph stopping his movements. Amy continues dancing as she turns her head, without missing a single move.

"Winner: Amy," The game declares and Raph groans at his loss. Great, now he owed her a cake made by himself.

"Yes!" Amy cheers, pumping her fists at her win. She turns around fully to see a purple Splinter, who's holding his head.

"My brain!"

They all scream in shock.

"Oh, why?" Donnie asks as Splinter holds his head and then sneezes lightly.

"Gesundheit," Leo tells him.

"Oh me gosh, oh me gosh, oh me gosh! Splinter's a zombie!" Mikey exclaims and Amy rolls her eyes as she steps off the game.

"Mikey, zombies are interested in other people's brains," Donnie points out.

"Well, he sneezed," Amy thinks to herself. "So that means-"

"Rat flu!" Raph interrupts. "This is not a drill, boys...and girl. I repeat, this is not a drill, boys and girl!"

 _Down with the sickness!_

"Seriously? He'll be fine," Amy deadpans, "Just a couple of days and some soup will fix him right up."

"I feel terrible," Splinter states to Donnie who's examining him. Leo waves his face with a towel. "Do I look terrible? Be honest." He lifts up his face which has sweat, dust, and snot all over it. A green bubble pops from his nose. The turtles and Amy back away slightly in disgust.

"You look great. Not horribly sick at all," Raph moves the curtain so that Splinter's closed off in his room. "He's horribly sick."

Donnie removes his goggles. "Look, a flu this intense is gonna affect all areas of his brain. I'm talkin' the full 7 stages," Donnie holds up his six fingers, one of his robotic arms holding up a finger. "Before his body naturally heals itself."

Raph puts his arms around Mikey and Leo.

"You guys know what the full seven stages mean," The turtles all look sad and Amy places a hand on Donnie's shoulder. "Another chance to get whatever we want!"

They all cheer, to Amy's disbelief as she removes her hand from Donnie's shoulder. "What?" She asks in shock as they're all cheering and dancing.

"But poor Dad," Mikey sags his head. "He must feel terrible. But lucky us, he'll say yes to whatever we ask for, whoo-hoo!"

Amy looks confused as they never told her about Splinter's flus before. "What...? Why are you cheering? He's sick!"

"Pink-a-boo," Leo starts off, putting a hand around her shoulder. "The flu affects his brain and it can be soooo crazy to what'll he do."

Amy looks around nervously before slowly moving away from Leo's arm. Even though she told him the truth, he acted like he didn't know at all. But she had to make sure he didn't say a word.

"Leo...you didn't-"

"Relax, I know how to keep a secret," He whispers, leaning towards her ear. "Why would I tell a secret that's just between us?"

"There are 7 stages that will affect his brain," Donnie explains, "But he'll only say yes to anything if we make all the way to the end of the flu, the elusive stage 7. And we never get there," he crosses his arms.

"This year's gonna be different," Raph tells them, "Nobody's getting bit, nobody's getting infected." Usually, when Splinter had this flu, they always get sick before they can even ask him. And since their brains would be affected, their plans to ask him never work.

"Good luck," Amy murmurs, snorting.

"When we do make it to the end, which I'm now calling the Must Say Yes stage, what are we gonna ask for?" Leo wonders. Amy could only sigh. They all think to themselves before the younger brothers turn to Raph, since he is the oldest. His eyes widen and he looks away from them.

"Well, this year, I was thinking we could ask for, uh-"

The others groan. "He's got nothing, we're dead!" Leo exclaims.

"Hey! I got something, alright? Like, a, um-"

"Uranium!" Donnie interrupts in excitement. "Oh, we should absolutely ask for uranium. I mean, if I could only get my hands on a little of that, we would be virtually unstoppable!" He could just imagine a giant robot right now.

"What about a wood oven for pizza?" Mikey asks and Leo pushes past them.

"Who's gonna clean that? What we should ask for is matching unicorn onesies, those are sick! Pun intended, and I nailed it." Mikey and Donnie tackle him.

"Enough!" Raph exclaims at them and they stop. "I got this! Alright, I'm gonna ask Splinter for something that benefits all of us."

"Leave me out of this, I don't want anything from a sick rat mutant," Amy waves it off.

"This is so exciting!" Mikey yells happily. "But terrible for Dad."

"So then why don't you take care of him?" Amy holds up her hands and she's ignored as a puff of ice comes from Mikey. He breathes it out, which meant only one thing. The three turn to Raph as he blows out some too.

"Buckle up, boys. It's about to get weird."

"How weird are we talking?" Amy wonders, raising an eyebrow.

"You'll see..."

* * *

 _Stage 1: Fever!_

The cold air emits from the AC to Splinter as he's trying to cool himself off. The first stage has that infected person feel very hot. No matter what temperature, they couldn't cool themselves off. Normally, Splinter left them alone during this stage because he would usually be at the A/C unit. Splinter's face gets the air and he pulls out a razor.

There is a heat lamp above as the turtles and Amy are sitting underneath it. Mikey, Raph, Amy, and Donnie are shivering.

"I hate stage 1," Mikey complains as he has earmuffs over his ears. "Think warm thoughts. Pizza, bricks from Italy, wood chips roasting."

"We're four hours in. His fever's gotta break soon," Raph replies as Leo is wearing a winter coat and sipping cocoa.

"I told you guys to plan ahead. Now I'm sitting here all toasty," He sips his drink and glances at Amy, who looks cold. Of course, she didn't plan ahead, because she didn't know that Splinter would be sick. Leo then shocks the other turtles as he takes off his jacket and puts it over Amy. She snuggles into it, staring at Leo in surprise that he gave up his own jacket for her. He gently places the cup into her hands and helps her drink it since she's shivering.

A shadow looms over them and Leo throws up the cup in shock. "What-ah, why?!"

Splinter's entire fur has been shaved off. "Oh god," Amy covers her mouth, looking away from the sight. "My eyes need to be washed now..."

"Had to...air myself out," He explains, dropping onto the ground as cold air emits from his body. He then growls as he shows his teeth, looking like he's going to attack them. He chases them around.

 _Stage 2: Wild rat man_

In this stage, Splinter acts like a wild animal and he won't stop until he's into the next stage. He chases them around the lair, screaming.

"Suits on, suits on! Donnie, get the device ready!" Raph calls out as the turtles put on hazmat suits, to prevent them from getting sick. Even rat flu was contagious. If Splinter even got near them, they would be sick. Amy glances at them.

"Wha-hey! Don't I get a suit?!" She exclaims in disbelief.

"Oh...right, you don't have one," Mikey smiles sheepishly and she trips. Leo turns around and picks her up, holding her by the waist. He runs with her legs dangling behind his shell and Amy looks behind his shoulder.

"Oh, it's ready," Donnie stands up. "You know, my inspiration for this device was simplicity. Why try something like bells and whistles when you can just let it speak for it-?"

"No one has time for this!" Leo calls out, still holding onto Amy. Even though she might kill him for doing this, he wasn't going to let her get sick. No way did he want Amy going crazy...but her saying yes to anything he asks was tempting...no! He can't take advantage of his lady like that! He'd rather have her say yes when she's her normal self. That means that he can't let Splinter touch her. Donnie presses a button from his wrist computer. The water from one of the drains stops and a large plastic hamster ball appears. It hits Leo, knocking him and Amy to the ground. Leo holds onto her as they fall, giving her a soft landing onto the floor near Donnie.

"Nice!" Raph calls as he's still being chased with Mikey. "Alright, let's get him inside."

Leo holds a pizza box with pepperoni pizza inside, pushing Amy back a little. "Stay behind me."

"No argument," She tells him nervously, as she didn't know how far Splinter would go. After his promise to her about her mother, she whole heartedly trusted him. Leo baits Splinter, throwing the box into the ball. Donnie seals it shut.

"Okay, this should hold him for a while."

"And you're sure this isn't cruel?" Leo asks, as it felt wrong to trap their father inside.

"He loves pizza in confined spaces you can barely breathe in," Raph states, gesturing to the ball.

"Really?" Amy asks skeptically before Splinter moves around, trying to get the pizza.

"Donnie, is it gonna hold up?" Mikey questions.

"Most definitely!" Donnie shouts as his body gets rolled around by the ball. He felt like a hamster wheel as Splinter tried to get to the pizza. He spins around and the ball goes up into the air. It bounces off a wall and then twice again before it breaks in half, setting Splinter free. He crawls into a tunnel as Donnie lands on the ground.

"Mikey, follow me, and be careful," Raph orders. "We can't afford to lose anyone before stage 7."

"I thought we all agreed that it was now called the 'Must Say Yes' stage," Leo speaks up.

"Not now," Amy shakes her head at him.

"It would be easier for me to be careful if I knew you were gonna ask for a pizza oven," Mikey says teasingly, the other three looking annoyed with him.

"I'm still thinking!" Raph exclaims.

"Quick question, is uranium still on the table?" Donnie calls out. Raph sighs in frustration. With the last stage, they only get one shot, so if they ask, that was it. Nothing, not another chance until he gets sick again.

Raph and Mikey look around Splinter's room, which is dark. "Where's Splinter? Mikey, you smell him?" Raph looks at the bed and prepares to look underneath it, Mikey whimpering in fear. Raph pauses, preparing for anything before he lifts up the cover. A roach passes by him and he sighs in defeat. Mikey yelps, unable to say anything as his brother stands up.

"He's not under there."

"Uh..." Mikey stammers.

"What?" He turns around, not noticing Splinter is latching onto his back. "Use your words."

"He's...on...you," Mikey whimpers.

"What? Heats on stew?" Raph asks in confusion.

"He's on you," Mikey repeats, pointing to Raph.

"He's on me?"

"Yes," Mikey sinks to the ground as Raph starts to sweat. He freaks out and throws Splinter off his back. He lands on the floor, turning around with hearts in his eyes.

"Oh, my favorite son!"

"Favorite son?" Mikey murmurs before realizing what's happening. "Run!"

 _Stage 3: Captain Cuddle Cakes!_

Stage 3 has Splinter acting very lovey-dovey, wanting to hug and kiss the turtles.

"Oh," Leo takes off his suit as Donnie struggles to take off his helmet. "These things do not breathe!"

"I know, right?" Donnie asks as Amy is sitting near him. "Uh, now are we sure we're safe?"

"Calm down, we're fine. Raph and Mikey have it-" The two turtles scream as they run past him. "Oh no."

"Stage 3, stage 3!" Raph tells them. Splinter arrives, holding his arms out.

"Oh, little baby blue, come to papa!"

Amy snickers underneath her hand and Leo groans in embarrassment. "Suits on, suits on!" Raph yells and Amy shrieks as she runs, the others following as Donnie and Leo try as fast as they can to put their suits back on. "Why weren't you in your suits?!"

"It was Leo!" Donnie shouts as he puts his helmet on.

"And I don't have one!" Amy calls out.

"No one forced you to, Donnie!" Leo reminds him as he trips, but catches up to them, his helmet on. "What's that smell?"

Splinter suddenly appears in his suit, snuggling him. "I love you."

"No, no you do not. I'm your least favorite son," Leo protests as Splinter kisses his cheek. Amy can't help but laugh.

"Ah, Leo's infected. Quarantine him," Donnie warns the others. They cover Leo's room with a sheet and zip it up, trapping him inside.

"Hey, you need me to get to the 'Must Say Yes' stage," Leo informs them. "We need to ask for unicorn onesies and oh, it is really hot. Is there a fire? There's a fire here, right? Is the floor made of lava?" Raph pushes a button and Leo gets hit with blue smoke. Amy stares at him, feeling a little worried...because he's her friend. Yeah, totally that.

"Down to four..." Raph says before realizing Amy could get sick too...maybe, he didn't know if it affects humans, but he's still not taking any chances. "Mellie, you gotta get out of here."

Donnie and Mikey push her to the entrance. "What, why?" She asks in confusion.

"We're not taking any chances!" Donnie declares, pointing to the opposite direction. "Leo's already been infected! And if you stay here, it won't be safe."

"Yeah, you don't want him around you during stage 3," Mikey tells her. Leo was already flirting with her, stage 3 could be worse...

"Fine," She sighs, dusting herself off. "I'll come back with soup!"

"Good!" Donnie pushes her and she grunts at him in annoyance, running off. Believe it or not, soup can reduce the number of hours of a stage, no matter which one it is. It's because of the heat the soup has.

"Alright, fellas," Raph places his hands on his hips. "Let's be careful so that the rest of us can make sure we get what we want. Who's got eyes on the package?"

Mikey yelps as he realizes that Splinter's not where they left him. He sees a dummy with kiss marks on it. "I lost him."

A smokebomb appears out of nowhere, revealing Splinter in a ninja uniform.

 _Stage 4: Ninja supreme_

Basically, Splinter dresses like a ninja and attacks them. He throws three shuriken and Raph blocks them with his tonfas. Splinter charges while holding a sword. "Hot soup!"

With a few slices, he completely shreds their suits to bits. They cover themselves as if they were naked. "Where'd Splinter go?" Raph wonders as Donnie looks around. At this stage, Splinter can appear from anywhere. The lights suddenly go out and Donnie backs away into Mikey.

"Guys, I think I've found him!" Mikey calls out as he places his hands on Donnie's back.

"Hey," Donnie slams his fist into Mikey's head. "That is my butt." He's suddenly tackled by Raph, since they can't see. Mikey leaps onto Raph.

"Ow, would everyone please stop hitting me?" He pulls down his goggles, since they have night vision. He can see Mikey pulling on Raph's neck.

"Now I really got 'im! Take that, itchy fuzzball!" Apparently he didn't register the fact that Raph has no fur, and besides, Splinter shaved himself off. Donnie looks up to see a rat's tail up above crawling into a room.

"Oh, not my lab!"

Donnie sneaks over to a tunnel that has purple light glowing from it. He peeks around the corner, but doesn't see Splinter. He peeks into his lab. There are various machines on the walls, with some electronics around the room, such as a laptop and a computer screen hanging in the air. There's something in the center that emits a purple glow. Donnie glances around his lab before slowly pulling out his staff. He doesn't notice Splinter on the roof.

There's a crash as Mikey and Raph wait outside. "Donnie, you hit?" Donnie jumps and lands in front of them from the second floor.

"No, no, I'm fine," He has a bandage on his right arm, which was definitely not there before. "I just cut myself on that janky old door. Everything's okay. Raph, did you decide what we're gonna ask for?" He sounds fine, but there was something wrong.

"Yeah, I got it." Raph looks certain as he punches his hands. "I'm gonna ask for..." A yell above him makes Raph look up to see Splinter falling towards them. "What?"

He lands a few feet away as Splinter holds a microphone. He removes his ninja gear as disco lights are in the lair. He then starts singing.

 _Stage 5: Karaoke Love Songs_

Obviously, Splinter would sing in this stage, but that doesn't mean he was good. It was like nails scraping against a chalkboard.

"I can't feel my ears," Mikey cringes as he and Raph have their hands over their ears. "Nothing is worse than this."

"We're so close, only 2 stages left," Raph reminds him, as they had to see this through.

"And three totally healthy turtles left," Donnie says, snot dripping down his nose. "Man, why is it so hot in here?" He faints and they knew what was happening; Donnie got infected and is in stage 1!

They place him in his room and put the sheet over the entrance like with Leo. Donnie gets hit with the smoke and slams his fists against the material. "Oh, you're gonna get squat from Splinter without Donnie! Not without old Donnie! I'm the brains behind this operation!" He lets out a sneeze.

"Uh, what stage are we on now?" Mikey wonders, as Splinter has stopped singing.

 _Stage 6: Fanfiction_

Splinter acts out his fantasies in this one. If the turtles knew a website, they'd post all of them for a couple of laughs.

"Okay, okay, listen, listen, listen," He places down an action figure of Lou Jitsu. "We open on noodle shop. It's raining, wooosh...Lou Jitsu knocks out two assassins," He's acting out all of this. "And wham! Interdimensional doorway opens and out walks, dun dun dun! Jupiter Jim! And we smash two Titans!"

Mikey is writing all of this down. "This is amazing! Keep going."

"We're almost to stage seven," Raph smiles. "This is the closest I've been to success since...uh...ever!" He holds out his hand for a high-five before Mikey lets out a sneeze.

Raph quarantines him in his room, which has a hammock. "We're done. Raph is totally gonna blow this. He has no idea what to ask for! Which means..." Mikey lets out a sigh. "I'm hot!" He fans himself. "Like I'm in the sun-" He gets sprayed with smoke. Raph chuckles as he turns to Splinter.

"I'm not gonna blow this."

"Raphael," He glances at Leo, who clasps his hands. "I love you, my brother, but you do tend to fail in big moments, pish posh. But that's what makes you, you. Now bring it in, buddy! I'm gonna hug you until a smile comes out!"

"Man, I wish Mellie was here..." Raph mutters, as it felt weird to hear that from Leo. Maybe that way Leo could focus on someone else for a change. "Enough! Raph's got this. Cause in big time moments, leaders make big-time shots! And I'm big-time."

"Raph," He looks at Donnie, who presses his face against the material. "He must say yessss, make him say yesssss," He hisses and Raph figured he must already be in stage 2.

"Enough," Raph repeats thinly, "Don't mess this up, Raph. Don't mess this up."

"And we only get to ask for one thing, my little Raph-a-doodle," Leo reminds him. Raph rubs his hands.

"I know exactly what I'm asking for." Hopefully, nothing would ruin the moment.

 _Stage 7: Must. Say. Yes!_

It's a staring contest as Splinter just stands there, slurping up snot from his nose. He doesn't know it, but this could be life-changing. This was it, Splinter was at the final stage and now the turtles can get whatever they want. Splinter couldn't say no because of the effect the stage has on his brain. No matter what it is, he has to agree and it had to be quick before the leader lost his chance. Raph narrows his eyes, prepared to ask his question. He closes his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Master Splinter, I know you'll say yes to whatever I ask for. I want you to give-"

"Raph-a-doodle a hug!" Leo finishes for him, slicing himself free. He runs forward and stands in front of Splinter. "Everybody loves hugs!"

"What? No!" Raph protests, "Anything but that!" He loved his father, but when he was like Captain Cuddle Cakes...let's just say people needed to get away. Splinter runs up to Raph, laughing. Raph tries to move away, but gets ultimately hugged by Splinter, who tackles him. Splinter kisses him on the cheek. And because Splinter touched him, he is now infected. Raph lets out a tiny sneeze and he mentally groans. They were so close...!

"Ooo, flu!" Splinter claps his hands, back to normal. "Papa wants a new bike!" He winks, as he would now be able to get whatever he wanted. This was usually the result of the flu, with Splinter winning.

* * *

Amy is in the kitchen with April at her friend's house. The brunette couldn't risk making the soup at home, her mother was going at it again. And then she'd have to tell April and then the guys and...ugh. She wanted to tell them, really, but she wasn't ready yet. It was better to prepare them first rather than just tell them upright.

"Have you gone through this before?" Amy wonders as she's preparing all kinds of soup. Knowing the turtles at this point, they probably were already infected, which meant more soup. "The rat flu?"

"You mean, was I infected?" April chuckles slightly. "Nah, I didn't have the experience to. I don't think it can affect us, but they don't want to find out."

"I just hope Leo's okay..." Amy murmurs to herself and her eyes widen. She glances at April, who's smirking. The brunette chuckles nervously. "I mean, I hope that he's...he's...knitting! Yup, he loves knitting!"

"Mm hm," April hums, deciding to ignore it...for now. As they're preparing the meals, electricity emits from Amy's hand, shocking her slightly.

"Ah!" She waves her hand in pain. "Man. It must be from the dance battle I had with Raph."

"Oh really? Raph won?"

They both glance at each other for a few seconds before laughing. While Raph was sometimes focused, he always gets distracted and fails, like Leo said. The proof of that was when he wasn't paying attention to the moves.

Amy growls in frustration as she can't open up the soup packet. "Come on, come on! Open up, you stupid thing!" Blue electricity flows over to her hair, making it all dirty and messy. One of her eyes twitches as April has her back turned to the oven, so she didn't see anything.

"April?"

She turns around, her eyes widening as Amy looks terrible. The brunette holds out the packet. "You open it." She walks away to the bathroom.

* * *

Amy hums as she's flipping through a book, April chopping vegetables. Amy stirs the pot to make sure it didn't taste wrong before April put in the veggies. Suddenly, electricity moves over to the oven and it sparks, setting the soup on fire. April doesn't see it as she sniffs, turning around.

"Amy!"

The brunette's eyes widen as she turns to the pot and screams. She runs over and grabs a fire extinguisher, but there's no more foam. She starts to panic as she looks around, since she can't use water on an electric fire. She uses a towel to fan the fire, but then the towel catches on fire. April and Amy cringe before Amy takes the pot and puts it underneath the sink. She turns on the water and the fire is finally put out. They both sigh in relief.

* * *

Since the soup got burned in the fire, they have to start all over again. And it's already almost sunset. Amy CAREFULLY pours in the noodles into the pot, both her and April moving away in case there's another fire. Luckily, nothing happens and April slides in the vegetables. Amy wipes sweat off her forehead, a lightning bolt shooting from her hand.

The girls both duck as the bolt is bounced around the room and then launches out the window into the streets. They both peek from the counter as screams are heard and they slowly go back to what they were doing.

Amy keeps asking the same question she's been wondering for hours: What the heck was triggering this? Was it because she was worried about Leo? But that would be impossible...

Would it?

Amy decides to dance as she's stirring the soup to channel her electric powers and to make sure nothing else happens. And to make sure her mind is OFF Leo of all people. April smiles and puts on some music, which in turn results in a dance party.

* * *

The girls approach the lair and it's quiet. They've both picked up some hazmat suits like the turtles wore in case anything happened. Who knows what stage the turtles were on?

They peek around as Amy holds a few boxes. April bumps into her and she shrieks, glaring as April smiles sheepishly.

"Sorry girl."

"No sudden movements. We have to be quiet," Amy whispers lowly and the lights suddenly turn on. Splinter is standing in the middle of the room.

"Hello, girls." He smiles slightly and Amy sighs in relief as he's back to normal. The turtles' rooms are still quarantined, but no one's in them...which makes Amy a little uneasy, as the turtles couldn't have gotten over their flus that quickly.

"Nice to see you're better, Splinter," April bites her lip nervously. "Are the guys here?"

Splinter nods slowly and they hear screams. Amy looks up to see Leo aiming right for her. She screams, handing April the soup as she runs away.

"Pink-a-boo, I missed you~" Leo sings as he chases after her. "Come give me a hug!"

"Stop it, Leo, you're freaking me out!"

"How long has he been in this stage?" April whispers to Splinter as they watch.

"Hours. It's strange, normally it would last shorter, but he has been talking about Amelia for a while," Splinter strokes his beard, but that was a bad thing for Amy.

Donnie is crawling around the lair, hissing as he's in a ninja outfit. Mikey is writing fanfiction, and Raph is singing. Leo tackles Amy to the ground, but she's still wearing her suit.

"I love you, dove~" He murmurs, nuzzling her and she groans.

"You need to get away from me," She warns as he tries to lift her helmet.

"But I love you so much!"

April can't help but laugh. "Leo, you're sick. Get your head together!" Amy tries to tell him, but he doesn't listen.

"Roses are red, violets are blue, nobody loves anyone as much as I love you!" Leo recites and Amy grunts, slamming her fist against the ground in defeat. Luckily, it was his brain affecting him to make him say that poem. What Amy _didn't_ know was that during this time, Leo wasn't just saying that, he actually meant it. But she wasn't going to be able to know that.

"Aww," Everyone else says, even though Amy is protesting the whole time.


	8. The Fast and the Furriest

**Angel: You're probably wondering why I'm posting this instead of Mascot Melee. Turns out there's a reason that MagicMelody16 pointed out to me. In Mascot Melee, which was labeled as 5A, Raph is walking through Times Square while the turtles are in the Turtle Tank. But in THIS episode, which was 5B, Donnie is showing OFF the Turtle Tank that he had just finished. So that's why the order changed if you guys didn't know. As for Mascot Melee, I got a link to it, but I haven't checked it out yet. And I also posted a one-shot because today is Amy's birthday! Wheeeee!**

Three spotlights shine in the garage of the lair before they all join together to land on Donnie, who is standing in front of a curtain. Mikey is sitting next to Raph, Amy is on the floor near Raph's leg, and Leo is sitting above her on a box.

"Brethren...and Amy."

"Thank you," Amy grins slightly and Leo huffs, placing a hand on his cheek. He glances back at her as he has the perfect view...that hair...those shoulders...part of her face. He could stare at that all day and still be in love with her. How could anyone else not see it? She was just so...perfect.

"Before you is my masterpiece," Donnie continues confidently, excited to show them. "The culmination of my merit skills united in one glorious enterprise! Lady and gentlemen, behold the-"

"Ooh, is it the drill?" Leo interrupts in glee. "Is it that drill you made when we were fighting the silverfish?"

"Uh, no, no t-that's still in beta," He explains and the brunette wonders how that's still in beta. He's had like two weeks last time she remembered it.

"Lame!" Raph calls out.

"Lay off and let him continue," Amy rolls her eyes.

"But this is better," Donnie continues, glancing away from his brothers' rude interrupting. "Much, much better. I give you the-"

"Is it an even cooler, even bigger drill?" Mikey asks enthusiastically,

"No, not a drill!" Donnie denies, gesturing his staff to the curtain. "This is the big surprise." He grabs a rope and pulls it, the curtain going up...but there's nothing behind it. "Ta-stinkin'-da!"

"Yay!" Mikey stands up, "A sewer tube full of nothing!"

"Huh?" Donnie asks in confusion.

"I'm so proud of you," Mikey clasps his hands near his cheek.

"You asked us to come down here for a sewer tube?" Amy raises an eyebrow.

"What? Where did it go?" Donnie kneels onto the ground. "I built us an amazing vehicle out of the moon buggy!" He slams his fists against the ground. "Who stole our Turtle Tank?!"

* * *

His question is soon answered as a large painted tank speeds on the streets. The culprit is driving the new vehicle as it has large tires and a cab on top of it. It bumps onto the corners as the culprit flicks a bobblehead of Jupiter Jim. He presses down on the pedals, which have water and a fish in his shoes. Splinter grins as he's wearing sunglasses, looking cool.

"Hot soup!" He exclaims as he's never felt like this before, laughing. He was riding in style!

He passes by a building where Amy and the turtles are. "Hey this is a real problem, Donnie," Raph explains, "Not only did they steal your tank thing-"

"Now you can finish the drill!" Mikey interrupts.

"But they must know where our lair is," Raph rubs his chin. "It must be somebody who's penetrated our inner circle."

"Maybe it's someone we've known..." Donnie looks away, narrowing his eyes. "For years...or maybe even...weeks! What do you have to say for yourself, Miss Amelia Smith?!" He points an accusing finger at Amy, who scoffs in disbelief.

"You really think I stole your tank? Do I have to remind you that I have my own ride?" Amy asks in annoyance, holding up her remote. She presses her button and her motorcycle lands behind her, playing the La Cucaracha theme from the horn. "Man, I'll never get tired of that."

"Admit it, you liar!" Mikey points at her.

"Yeah, you couldn't stop with the bike, could you?" Raph accuses, getting in her face as Donnie shines a light into her eyes. She covers her face as Leo stays behind. Obviously she was innocent, she didn't have a reason or opportunity to commit the 'crime.'

"You wanted more," Donnie narrows his eyes. "You've always been annoyed by us, you wanted to get revenge!"

"Are you insane?!" Amy demands, standing up.

"I don't know, Amy. Are we?!" Mikey eyes her. "Just confess to the crime!"

Suddenly, a few punches are heard. Donnie, Raph, and Mikey walk back to Leo, with their masks tied all over themselves, squishing them internally. For Donnie and Mikey, she stretched them out.

"Okay...Amy definitely isn't our suspect," Donnie murmurs in pain.

"Glad we agree," Amy crosses her arms, Leo chuckling. Not only did he get unharmed, Amy wasn't mad at him.

* * *

Donnie kicks down April's door, the other turtles storming in. April is holding Mayhem, who has curlers on him. She was curling his fur to make him look nice. "Alright, you! Where's our Turtle Tank?!" Donnie demands, pointing at her.

"Hi Donnie," She starts off with her eyes closed, "You have 9 seconds to tell me why you just broke my door," She smiles casually, but inside, she was maaaaaad. Mayhem narrows his eyes at them.

"Someone stole Donnie's Turtle Tank," Leo informs her as they're staring her down. Amy's not there, she was waiting outside.

April chuckles as she knows where this is going. "Oh, I see. So as your best friend, or one of them, you naturally suspect me."

"She gets it," Mikey smiles.

"Oh ho, don't give me that," Donnie waves it off, "You're the only one who could've taken it...and besides, Amy made it clear that she didn't do it."

"Three," April holds her bat, patting it against her palm. They all look nervous as they knew what was going to happen. "Two. One."

There's a smack and they all scream as they land in the alley near Amy. She's leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. The turtles land on each other one by one, with Raph obviously being on the bottom.

"Okay, good news, our inner circle is now secure," Donnie comments, Amy looking up at the window.

"Sorry April!" Mikey calls out. "Movie night later?"

"Your treat," April tells them.

"Thanks April, you saved me the trouble of telling 'em myself," Amy salutes at her. April blows a kiss in response, closing the window. "Told you she'd react like that."

"Alright lady and fellas, who's our next suspect?" Donnie asks them as they're gathered in a circle.

"It's gotta be someone who knows we exist," Raph thinks, as no one could just accidentally stumble into their lair. Splinter is revving up the Turtle Tank right behind them, but they don't hear him.

Mikey gasps in realization. "Splinter..." He then pulls out an actual wooden splinter from his forehead. "Must be from April's bat."

"Our Splinter would be the last suspect, though," Amy speaks up.

"No way, it's gotta be another mutant," Leo waves her off, "And I know where we can find a mutant. The mutant pizza place!"

Amy glances at the road near her and gasps, seeing the Turtle Tank. "Um, guys?"

"Not now, we gotta go," Donnie tells her, standing up.

"But this is pretty important," She replies, about to show them. "It's-"

"It's a race against time, we know," Raph pats her back. "That's why we're going to the mutant pizza place."

"But guys, there's-"

"There's no time to waste, we get it," Mikey interrupts and she snorts out some smoke from her nose in annoyance.

"Not that! Look-"

"Look, we understand, pink-a-boo," Leo grins, placing an arm around her shoulder. "Calm down."

"I GIVE UP!" Amy shouts to the sky, walking past them. The turtles glance at each other in confusion before shrugging and following her.

* * *

The five land from the rooftops, standing in front of a graffiti sign on a wall. "Stand back," Raph waves his hand, blue flames coming from it. Amy looks in awe as a doorway opens up. "Raph's got this. Okay, Leo, do your thing."

"Ah, the old smooth-urban-cop-digging-for-info-in-a-restaurant routine," Leo places a hand on Raph as if saying he's got this down pat. "Watch and learn, babies. Pink-a-boo, stay behind me. These mutants are dangerous and I don't want you to get hurt."

"I don't get hurt. I hurt other people," Amy grins in amusement, following after him.

It's a regular restaurant with the standard tables, nothing else extraordinary besides the mutants. Amy looks in disgust as she sees all the customers. "Say bone-man," Leo wraps an arm around a mutant. "Yo, you seem like you have your ear holed to the ground. What do you know about a certain missing Turtle Tank?" He throws a yellow slip of paper into the man's hand, as if giving him a bribe. He looks at it.

"A teddy bear town coupon?" He chuckles at the turtle's attempt, "Well, I have no need for a...Mayor Cuddle Cakes," He crumples up the coupon and throws it on Leo's head.

"My friend is a little...out there, skeleton man," Amy glances at Leo, who picks up the coupon and holds it out to her with a flirty grin.

"Guess I'm not going there alone tonight, then~"

"Dream on. The only bear I cuddle is on my own bed at home," She flicks the coupon away.

"Bye bye," The mutant waves them off and Leo growls a little, walking off. He looks at a green eye with some eyelashes.

"Hey green eye. Know anything about-" He stops as he sees how large the mutant is.

"I'm guessing that's a no," Amy walks off. Leo kneels in front of a cute little mutant with bat wings as ears.

"Hey wittle cutie, bet you know-" The baby mutant shows its teeth, roaring at the two. "Oh come on! You're not that cute, anyway, I got my own fish to catch," He jerks a thumb at Amy.

"Good luck finding a bait for me," Amy pokes his nose.

"Enough with your stupid routine, Leo! Though I did enjoy the flirting," He pushes past Leo and Amy, who glance at each other. Leo grins widely at her and she shakes her head, pinching her forehead. She had nothing to say.

"I'm finding out which one of you wise guys took our tank or we'll smash everything in this dump!" Donnie threatens, trying to pick up a table.

"Donnie," Amy moves past him. "Let the girl handle this." She picks up the table and throws it against a wall, breaking it into pieces. Everyone there gasps, including the turtles. They knew she was strong, but they didn't know she was that strong.

"Hey, pepino," The mutant Leo talked to first speaks up, "Your bad cop routine leaves something to be desired, especially this young woman."

"I don't want anything to do to with you, idiota," Amy sneers at him. The three turtles glance at her in surprise, as that was the first time she spoke Spanish to them. Leo sighs in delight at hearing her accent again.

"Oh no, no, no," Mikey laughs, "We're not the police."

"You're not the police, you say?" The mutant grins and the doorway opens, with the turtles and Amy being kicked out.

"Oh, man," Leo rubs his butt, "Why can't anyone throw us into a nice, soft pile of trash?"

Raph groans as he sits up, as they're getting nowhere. "Hey Donnie, why didn't you just put a tracking device in the Turtle Tank? You put a tracker device in salami paper!"

"Oh, I was getting to that," Donnie explains, placing his hand under his chin. "But then he realized he did install the shopping cart protocol!" He waves his staff in the air, laughing. Leo, Amy, and Raph glance at each other in confusion, Amy shrugging. He presses a button and it beeps.

* * *

Meanwhile, a man is walking down the street with his groceries. The Turtle Tank speeds right past him.

"Hey!"

His bags are dropped to the ground and he pouts. Now he'd have to go back and pay for all of his stuff. Splinter laughs in glee before an alarm goes off. One of the tires is strapped down, making the vehicle come to a stop.

"What the? What happened?" He tries to move it, but can't.

"Shopping cart protocol activated," A voice that is Donnie's recording says.

"What's that?" Splinter asks in confusion.

"I am programmed to stop if I go beyond a set perimeter."

Splinter hops out of the seat to go see if he can deal with the problem manually. He opens the door, seeing that he's parked perfectly in an alley. He pops the hood, a wrench in his hands, and a car with purple headlights pulls up right behind him.

"Useless," Splinter mutters to himself. "Maybe I will call April," He slams the wrench against the engine. "She is not a snitch."

"Need a hand, matey?" The rat turns around to see Meat Sweats! But Splinter's not familiar with him as he doesn't know what he tried to do to his sons and Amy. Splinter shrieks, jumping onto the engine in fright.

"You're a freak of nature!"

"Ha," Meat Sweats pokes Splinter with his hammer, "Bit of a pot belly calling the kettle black there, me thinkies."

Splinter pushes away the hammer. "Touche. Say, could you give me a ride uptown? I will leave this here and hope it all works itself out." He did not want the turtles to see him with the Turtle Tank, because he knows how Donnie will react.

"Well, I could do that, but what say we eat first?" Meat Sweats suggests, as he had another plan. "A drizzle of lemon over a thinly sliced silverfish sashimi."

Splinter thinks to himself at the vision. "Ohh, fancy. I've only eaten silverfish off the bottom of my slipper," He wiggles his toes, jumping off the vehicle.

"And I'll throw in a killer dessert," Meat Sweats grins evilly, as this was all working out...

For him, that is.

* * *

The turtles and Amy land on a rooftop, almost to the Turtle Tank. Leo looks up at the full moon before glancing at Amy. The moonlight illuminated her face and clothing. It was like she was from a painting, much more exquisite than anything like the Mona Lisa.

"So," he clears his throat, "Beautiful night, isn't it?"

"If by beautiful you mean back alleys, rooftops, and a dingy mutant restaurant that we've seen so far, then yes," Amy glances at him.

"Right, right," He chuckles awkwardly, placing his sword behind his head and whistling casually. I'm an idiot...

"Okay, we should find the Tank if we just track the perimeter of the shopping cart protocol's limit," Donnie speaks up.

"Whoa, are we gonna need a protractor?" Mikey asks in anticipation.

"No," Donnie denies, Amy and Leo walking behind them.

"An abacus?"

"Literally never."

"A bag full of sausage?!"

"Man, I don't understand how your mind works," Donnie rolls his eyes, glancing down. "Hey look, there the tank is."

"Whoa!" Mikey points to it, his arms around Donnie and Raph. Right down there is the Turtle Tank. "Donnie, nice work!"

Raph chuckles in awe, "She's big and beautiful!"

"We are gonna get a lot of parking tickets in that thing," Leo chuckles before seeing someone stepping away from the Turtle Tank. "Uh, guys? What's Dad doing down there?"

"Oh, I should've known he took it! You just can't trust adults these days," Donnie shakes his head during his rant. Amy is about to speak up, but groans, running a hand through her hair. When she gets home tonight, she was going to open up a box of donuts...stress-eating, because of them! But they were Boston crème..."You leave the keys to your brainchild lying around and the next thing you know-"

"Meat Sweats?" Raph questions in confusion, interrupting him. They see Splinter getting into Meat Sweats' van. "This is bad." Splinter crawls into the back. "Hey, we gotta move or Dad'll be toast or spread on toast."

"Thank you, Raph, for giving me nightmares tonight," Amy's eyes widen at the thought.

"Let's go!"

They jump off the rooftop.

Meat Sweats walks over to Splinter, who's sitting in a chair eating the sashimi. The pig mutant pulls out some spray cheese, spraying some onto his hands. The whole back consists of cages, mutant animals he was planning for future meals. "This clarified butter shampoo will make you feel...scrumptious." One of the cages moves and he punches it, using the cheese to lather Splinter's head in it.

Splinter doesn't think much of it as he's eating. Meat Sweats only gave it to him to fatten him up. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I have a great idea for a chain of restaurants. You're inside a giant wedge of cheese," He pauses to take another bite out of his food, "And you have to eat your way out," Another bite, "I call it TGI Parmesan," He stokes his beard before he sags his head. "My sons think it's stupid?"

"Sons?" Meat Sweats inquires, sharpening his knife. Sons meant more food. "What must they be, chatty opossums?"

"No, no, no, turtles," Splinter answers to the mutant pig's surprise. "One of their friends brings me desserts!"

"Turtles and friend who brings desserts?" Meat Sweats looks out the back window, seeing the aforementioned turtles and Amy approaching. "Red, blue, orange, purple, and pink?"

"Oh, you know their names!" Splinter holds up a finger, not even asking how he knows them.

"Yes, and they're right outside and looking delicious," Meat Sweats continues cleaning his knife, Splinter spitting out his food in shock.

"What?!" He starts to panic, "We've got to bone out! They cannot find out I took the tank!" He throws Meat Sweats into his chair, landing on his belly.

"What are you doing, you dotty old sod?" Splinter buckles the pig in.

"You steer, I will pedal!" Splinter orders him as if they're getaway drivers. He gets underneath the wheel and presses down on the pedal. The van takes off.

"They're getting away!" Raph turns back to the others.

Donnie smiles at the large vehicle. "Turtle Tank Time!"

Meat Sweats is trying to drive safely as he maneuvers past other cars. "Slow! Fast! Brake, brake, brake!" He shouts, trying to steady the van. They drive right past the same man with the groceries and he drops them once again, to his dismay. The Turtle Tank catches up with them.

"Now that autopilot's engaged, allow me to show you around my stand-of-the-art Turtle Tank," Donnie starts off, "Over there is navigation, down here is a, wait for it, bowling ball launcher, strike! And there is the-"

"Soft serve ice cream machine?" Mikey interrupts, him and Amy's eyes shining. "Tell me there's a sprinkles cannon."

"Ooo, good one. Rainbow and chocolate," Donnie agrees with him and Amy gasps, Leo staring at her.

"I love ice cream," She whispers happily, closing her eyes. "Donnie, please tell me you can put a-"

"Done," Donnie grins, gesturing to her bike. He presses a button and a mini machine with ice cream replaces the handlebars. A panel opens up from the bottom to reveal toppings and drizzles.

"Yaaaaas~" Amy sings as she looks at all the toppings in awe and in happiness. Leo can't help but laugh. Well, now he knows at least one way to her heart: good old-fashioned ice cream.

Suddenly, there's a crash as the Turtle Tank is bumping into buildings like Meat Sweats' van is doing. "Donnie, watch the road!" Raph warns.

"I wouldn't need to if you would just take your seat," Donnie replies smugly, pressing a button from his wrist computer. Raph looks up to see a big seat coming down from the ceiling. "It's the giant red one with your name and your exact lumbar settings!" He gestures to it.

"That's beautiful," Raph murmurs in amazement.

"Captain, the con is yours." The two brothers grin at each other, fist-bumping. Raph pulls a lever with a big grin on his face. He felt like the leader of a spaceship right now. The Turtle Tank speeds up.

"You took the tank from your son?" Meat Sweats asks as Splinter explained why they were after them. "Well I've done some awful things in my life, but you, you're an animal."

"I am not taking the fall for this," Splinter argues.

"But what could he do to you?" Meat Sweats wonders.

"Purple is a monster! He'll fry my TV so all I get is educational shows," He whimpers slightly, "And he will tell Amy to not bring me desserts for a month!"

"I know you're in there!" Donnie calls out, looking out the window. Splinter is slapping Meat Sweats with his tail. "Dad, I can see your tail, I-" He grunts, as he's trying to appeal to his father. "Oh Papa, if you surrender now, there shan't be any consequences."

"That is a lie!" Splinter looks proud of himself, "I taught him that one."

Raph stands next to Donnie. "You're with a very dangerous mutant, Pop," He tries to warn him. "Meat Sweats just wants to eat you!" He screams, Donnie cringing at his volume since he's right next to him. Splinter glances at the pig.

"Your name is Meat Sweats?" He asks, baffled.

"Well, actually, it's Rupert," Meat Sweats answers sheepishly.

"Ohhh," Splinter looks embarrassed, as he wouldn't want that name if he was still human. "I would stay with Meat Sweats." He presses down on the pedal, Meat Sweats swerving to hit the Turtle Tank.

"We gotta stop that truck!" Raph declares, Amy running over to her motorcycle. Raph swerves to the right and he presses a button, releasing Amy out into the streets.

"I'll blast it with the boom cannon!" Donnie grins, preparing it, but Leo's face pops up on his screen along with Amy's. Her helmet is hooked up to their communicators outside.

"Donnie, Dad's in that thing," He reminds him.

"Can I at least go semi-lethal?" Donnie wonders in anticipation, the other turtles and Amy giving him a look.

"Why would you even want to go any length of lethal?" Amy asks in disbelief.

"You never let me shine!" Donnie complains and Amy groans silently at him, speeding up on her bike. "Harpoon hooks it is." From the top of the tank, he launches two hooks, capturing the van. Mikey and Leo grab onto them, balancing themselves on the chains.

"Alright, Sweaty Spaghetti," Mikey calls out, "Give us our dad back!"

"Yeah, hand over the fugitive," Donnie grins at the punishment he has planned.

"Don't snitch me out, bro!" Splinter cringes up at Meat Sweats, but he didn't know it's already too late. Meat Sweats makes himself known to them, opening the back door.

"I don't think so. You have a reservation in my stomach, a party of six, seating now," He slams down a button. The back of the van opens up, enlarging the vehicle.

"Ooo, is he finally gonna teach us how to make that pork risotto?" Mikey wonders, Amy zooming past them. Meat Sweats opens up his hand for the tendrils.

"Since I assume you won't go down without a fight, allow me to choose my weapon," He opens up the cage to reveal a mutant snake and Amy cringes, slowing down a bit. He starts to absorb the mutant's power.

"He's getting the mutant snake's power!" Leo points at him.

"What exactly is that power?" Amy murmurs to herself and she gets her answer as Meat Sweats spits acid from his mouth.

"Hey, watch out!" Raph shouts, but it lands on the window. "It's a spitting cobra!"

"Hey, watch the paint, bucko!" Donnie yells at the pig. Raph pushes a lever, the van swerving around. A laser cannon appears from the back of Amy's bike and it fires tiny lasers. Meat Sweats yelps, dancing past them as they hit his truck. Mikey, Amy, and Leo all laugh.

"Donnie," Raph turns to his brother. "What else you got in this thing?"

"Oh!" Donnie gets an idea. "I've been wanting to try this!" The hood on the cab pops open, shape-shifting into the bowling ball launcher that Donnie mentioned earlier. He presses the button and the bowling ball launches, hitting Meat Sweats in the face. The other three chuckle at him, winking to each other. Amy gasps as she sees a narrow train tunnel underneath, which is kind of shorter than the wheels of her bike.

"Oh no!" Mikey yells as he looks at Amy. She narrows her eyes before tilting the bike sideways, sliding all the way to the other side.

"Yeah!" She pumps her fist and Meat Sweats growls, spitting more acid at them as they're crossing over a bridge.

"Oh."

"Oh my gosh!"

"Cripes."

The two have to move around the chains, Mikey clutching onto his. Amy's wheels emit the metal arms, taking her up into the air as the green material flies right past the bike. Unfortunately for Leo and Mikey, the acid melts the chains.

"Oh no."

"No!"

They break apart, sending the two into the front of the tank. "Mikey, stop 'em!" Leo calls out and Mikey holds up his whip.

"Power whip jitsu!"

Meat Sweats shouts in surprise as the fire spirit soars right past him and links itself into the floor. Leo is now standing on Mikey's shoulders as he's hanging onto the bumper and his weapon.

"Come on, Meat Sweats," Leo eggs him on, "Are you even trying?"

"Not much of a fight, is it?" Amy calls out as she's riding next to Leo. Meat Sweats spits out more acid and Leo swings, electricity coming from his sword as he's trying to make a portal appear.

"Come on, portal. Come on, portal!"

"Come on, Leo! My armpits are getting tired!" Mikey tells him.

"Leo, you need to focus!" Amy informs him. "Remember what I told you, you need to channel that energy and let the sword do the rest!"

Leo narrows his eyes at her advice, gripping his sword as he remembers her advice. He swings his sword and at last, the portal appears. "Got it!"

"Alright!" Amy cheers for him as a portal appears behind Meat Sweats, the acid landing on his face when he turns around.

"Let's get 'em!" Raph moves forward and Meat Sweats presses a button.

"So long, dinner. I'll just get takeaway!" He releases all of the mutant animals he caught and they're heading straight for Amy. She gasps, slamming down on the brakes, but it's too late as her bike halts to an abrupt stop. Amy soars in the air slowly, Leo and Mikey gasping in horror. She spins around due to her angle and lands roughly on the ground right onto her face.

Raph comes to a stop as well, both him and Donnie gasping at Amy. The animal mutants get away and he sweats nervously before sighing in relief. He didn't hit them or Amy.

Meat Sweats grabs Splinter by the robe. "I'm done with you, T.G.I Parmesan," Meat Sweats informs him, Splinter smiling sheepishly. "No meal is worth this!" He throws Splinter into the road and he gets away.

"Wait, wait! Don't leave meeeeee!" Splinter pleads, but luckily, the other turtles are focusing on Amy right now.

Her eyes are closed, her helmet and visor broken. Leo hesitates in fear as he takes off the helmet. "Amy? Amy, this isn't funny! Come on, Amy, say something." He tries not to cry but then Amy smirks.

"Something."

The turtles look at her in shock as she sits up before laughing in relief. "You scared us," Mikey whimpers.

"That was a major wipeout back there," Raph comments and she gestures to her outfit.

"I have padding for situations like that...it's not the last time I bite it with my ride," She rubs her neck sheepishly. She must've gotten like 50 scrapes in the past few years just by trying to learn how to ride it.

Leo doesn't say anything as he engulfs her into a hug and she blinks in surprise.

"You're okay," He murmurs happily, patting the back of her hair to make sure he isn't dreaming. Amy smiles softly at his concern and hugs him back. Splinter, while finding this moment touching, backs away slowly but Donnie stops him.

"You! You reckless, irresponsible-! You are watching the Science of Chairs Channel for a month, young man! Followed by the Long Division Channel and the Memorizing Pi channel! Spoiler alert, the 99th digit is 7! And Amy."

"Hm?" Amy glances over to him while Leo's checking her over for any major injuries.

"We'll be eating all of Splinter's desserts until his next birthday!" Splinter looks horrified and Amy rubs her chin.

"I'll see what I can come up with. Maybe some eclairs or some macaroons."

"Ooo, definitely macaroons!" Mikey raises his hand, Splinter whining in despair.


	9. Mascot Melee

**Angel: I finished this just yesterday because I managed to find a link :D Shell in a Cell will be updated tomorrow and that'll be it for now. There hasn't been any new air dates updated yet, so I don't know if they're going to air new episodes next week. But I do know that two episodes are supposedly being aired as a Halloween special and the plots...*lets out a laugh* One is absolutely ridiculous, and the other reminds me of Gravity Falls just by the description. I'm not gonna spoil them, but you can check out the TMNT wiki yourself to find out. Also, there's a part that's pretty emotional, so prepare yourselves! Don't say I didn't warn you.**

Raph is narrowing his eyes, his environment dark as he can only see with his eyes. "What's the word? Am I clear?" A periscope looks around Times Square during the daytime, the other turtles and Amy inside the Turtle Tank.

"Looks bueno from here," Leo tells him, looking through the periscope. "You are go for Operation Let's hope Raph comes back alive." Amy is sitting behind him, licking her soft-serve ice cream cone. The brunette is leaning as she's sitting on her bike, her sunglasses over her head. She's dressed in a different outfit. She's wearing a purple tunic with black trimming and a slopping right sleeve under a white midriff tank top. Her pants are black leggings, wearing purple fingerless gloves and a purple headband as an accessory. Her shoes are purple open-toed ankle boots and her hair is out of her ponytail, flowing down her waist. There are some star accessories in her hair and on her headband. She has star earrings dangling down from her ears.

"Stop calling it that," Raph retorts and Amy takes another scoop of ice cream into her mouth.

"He's fine, as long as he doesn't take the costume off," She points her spoon at Donnie.

"A first-ever exploratory in daylight!" Donnie exclaims in excitement, Raph looking worried. Someone could accidentally remove his costume and see him. "They are gonna name sewer grates after you, pal!"

Raph is in his hippo costume, the one he used to bait Hypnopotamus. "I fit right in with all the mascots. This hippo suit works great in Times Square." Times Square is, obviously, busy with all the stores and entertainment going on. Raph was like a regular person being out here. The reason why they're there is because they're getting a birthday gift for Splinter. Raph is dressed like a mascot, and once he would get to the store, he'd slip in, pay, and slip out without any suspicion whatsoever. Easy, right? Mascots were always clothed for a whole day.

"Totally, but for the record, I still think my trench coat idea would've worked," Mikey comments, hands behind his back.

"We've been over this. It's too obvious," Amy rolls her eyes, leg raised in the air. Leo glances at her as she's tapping her foot against the handlebars of her bike.

"It's weird that you're not working today," Mikey comments and she looks up from her phone, thinking about the earlier events.

"I know...it's strange. This morning I woke up all ready to go, but then when I got there, I found everything sold out today. And all my packages were delivered. I guess someone thought I should be here hanging out with you during the daytime for a change." Usually, she would be working on a busy day like this and then hang out with the turtles later.

Leo blushes, smiling at his plan. Yup, he was the one who sold all of Amy's pastries today. It wasn't that hard, he just had to deliver her packages first and then open up the store earlier than Amy and turn on the charm. And it worked! People loved him as a 'mascot.' Now he can spend more time with his lady. He turns back to the periscope, looking around until he finds his target.

"Oh ho, there's the store!"

"Go get Splinter's birthday gift!" Mikey declares, clasping his hands. "Our eyes depend on it!"

 _One night, the turtles and Amy were having a movie night. They were watching Jupiter Jim when Splinter walked in, scratching the back of his butt. "Time for today's training!"_

 _Leo turned around while eating noodles and almost choked._

 _Splinter was holding his staff in a half-ripped maroon robe, but they could see his underwear. "It's a little drafty."_

 _The others exclaimed in disgust at him._

 _"Aw no!"_

 _"My eyes!"_

 _"That mole is growing a mole."_

 _"We gotta get him a new robe."_

 _"How about I go wash my eyes first?"_

 _"Who's up for jumping jacks?" He started to do them, to the others' horror._

Amy shudders at the memory. "Add that to the list of incoming nightmares..." The light turns green as people start to walk.

"Steady as she goes," Leo warns, Raph glancing around at all the people. He couldn't believe how well he was blending in, and all he had to do was wear a hippo suit. "Old man on your right." Raph maneuvers past a man. "Kid on your left." He comes to an abrupt stop as Timmy from the crazy birthday party stands in front of him. "He's got peanut butter ice cream."

"Boooo!" Amy calls out at the ice cream flavor.

"Oh no, your allergies!" Donnie exclaims, Mikey's eyes widening. "Evasive maneuver! Evasive maneuver!" Raph spins around the kid slowly, walking forward like nothing happened.

"Close one." He laughs at how well this is working out. "Oh, man!" He places his hands on his hips. "This is crazy cool! First turtle to ever skate through a crowd totally unnoticed, and his name is Raph," He jerks a thumb at himself. Mikey looks down at the computer as he hears a beep from it. April's picture pops up along with the e-mail notification.

"Video text from April," Donnie tells them and Mikey taps it with his foot.

"I just got it too," Amy jumps down from her bike, walking over to them. She pulls it up and they all see a hippo with a turtle face on it pooping chocolate chip cookies.

"April's memes are so lit!" Mikey exclaims as the others smile.

"Oh, I know this one!" Amy points to it excitedly, jumping up and down. "Sometimes I use it to promote my double chocolate chip cookies!"

"You know, I bet you think I wouldn't like cookies coming out of butts, but it turns out I do!" Donnie comments.

"So, Amy," Mikey starts off casually. "If you were getting a gift for your dad, what would you give him?"

Leo inhales sharply at the sudden question, glancing at the girl. Amy stiffens, dropping her phone as she backs away as she gets flashbacks.

 _"Daddy, daddy please!"_

 _"I'm sorry, my daughter...but I have nothing to live for. Take care of your mother for me."_

 _"Daddy, NO!"_

 _And then he was gone. "Daddyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!"_

"...I don't have a father," She whispers to Donnie and Mikey's shock. They weren't expecting that and neither was she. Leo approaches her slowly as she looks like she's about to cry.

"Ames..." Leo calls out soothingly. "It's okay, you don't have to tell us."

She pauses, hugging herself as she sinks to the floor. "My mother and I were involved in a car accident when I suggested we all go out to the store," She starts off quietly. "She took the most damage...mentally. My brother and sister died on impact..." The brunette runs a shaky hand through her hair, the other turtles staring at her intently. "They didn't even make it to the hospital. Lucia...was only nine. She wanted to be a teacher for deaf kids like herself. Marco was getting married and now he's left a widow with my niece," Amy closes her eyes. "Mom-no, excuse me, Nadia-has a condition where she can't remember close family members and attacks them," She puts a hand to her fist, leaning against the wall. "She doesn't have any emotional attachment to them or anything. My father...couldn't handle her not remembering him after a while...so he took his own life..."

The other turtles blink slowly, Raph even stopping in his tracks to listen to her silent sobbing. Mikey bends down and hugs her. "I tried to stop him at work...but I couldn't make a difference, he jumped!" Amy cries, covering her eyes. Leo places a hand on his shoulder as they just let her cry. She needed to let it all out because it wasn't her fault. She couldn't have predicted this. Once she's done, she sniffles, wiping her nose with her glove. "Sorry, I got a little snot on the floor."

"It was worth it," Donnie comments and she lets out a laugh. The turtles smile at her. Even when she was down, they always managed to make her laugh.

"No it's not, that's disgusting!" She laughs even more, Leo rubbing her shoulder soothingly. Mikey hands her a tissue and Donnie hands her another ice cream cone.

"Loook, chocolate sprinkles," He waves it in front of her and she takes it happily.

Raph smiles as she's feeling better and accidentally bumps into someone, who grabs him by the arms. "Sorry," Raph pushes him off gently. The man just nods at him without dropping that creepy grin of his... "My bad?" He just walks away, Raph a little confused.

"You got this, bud," Leo assures him. Raph looks up at the store, Russ' Short, Hairy, & Surly Clothing. "Now go get that robe, our night terrors end today!"

"Yes!" Raph cheers, reaching into his pocket...only to find no wallet. "What?" He looks in the other one, but zilch. "No, no, no!" He must've forgotten it... "My wallet...my wallet!" He glances around at all the people, starting to freak out a little. How was he gonna pay for Splinter's gift now?

"Uh, cuse me," He calls out to two people walking past him. "Have you seen my wallet? There's a skull on it, and a Teddy Bear Town frequent buyer card inside."

The others look up as they can hear him asking questions. "Did he just say he lost his wallet?" Donnie wonders.

"Nooooo!" Raph denies before leaning in and whispering to a man, "Have you seen my lost money?"

"You did lose it!" Donnie accuses, Mikey gasping.

"Oh no!" Raph was the only one who had money on him. Amy facepalms her forehead.

"Ugh," She groans under her breath. "You had one job, Raph! One job!" She says something in Spanish, hitting her hand against the table in frustration.

"Well, you better find it," Leo tells him, Donnie and Mikey looking at Amy.

"No way, I'm not paying for it!" She denies, "I didn't even cash in my money yet." Besides, that robe cost a lot of money, anyway, and she was saving her cash for something important. She didn't know what yet, but it was still important!

"Why does a hippo have pockets?"

"Do not tell me you left it in the lair!"

"Where's the last place you had it?"

"Stop talking!" Raph interrupts as he feels the pressure. "Stop talking!" He tries to run, but bumps into a large man who's holding a camera. Due to the force, the hippo head of the costume flies off, exposing him. Everyone gasps as they turn their heads to him. He wonders why they're gasping until he releases his head is uncovered, sucking in a breath. The others gasp too.

"Start the tank! Start the tank!" Mikey tells Donnie.

"Uh, uh," Raph stammers like he's a deer caught in headlights. He clears his throat as everyone is staring at him intently, not even moving. This was it, he was done for.

"Your costume, it's great!" A woman with a child exclaims. "You're the turtle-potamus meme, right? The one that's sometimes featured in Smith's Sweets!" Her child sucks on a pacifier.

"What meme?" Raph asks in confusion as he hasn't seen it. "I mean, yes meme! Yes meme! What-uh-yes, that meme," He crosses his arms casually. He doesn't know what she's talking about, but as long as he lets them believe that, he's in the clear. He stands up, "Which meme now?"

Everyone points up to the meme that April showed the other turtles and Amy earlier on one of the screens. It did kinda look like him.

"Yes! Uh, I'm that," He places his hands on his hips confidently. "There's nothing in the world I could possibly be."

The other three turtles and Amy heave a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness for memes..." Amy murmurs to them.

"You're the best and cleanest Times Square mascot I've ever seen," She hands her baby boy to him. "Here's my baby, he loves memes!" The baby boy sucks on his pacifier and Raph gets a selfie stick in his face. There's a flash and she takes her baby back, replacing him with 5 dollars. She walks away, leaving him wondering what just happened.

"Uh, ma'am? You misplaced your 5 dollar bill directly into my palm," He calls out, but she doesn't come back.

"That means she paid you, amigo," Amy tells him.

"Roll with it. She's paying you for the picture. Keep working with the crowd and maybe we can get back all of our money you lost," Leo explains as more people are surrounding Raph for mementos.

"Allegedly lost," Raph reminds him.

"Riiiiight," Amy comments knowingly, being sarcastic.

Raph takes a picture with a kid and gets a penny into his helmet. He takes a photo with a kid and his dad, getting a few dollar bills. He takes a picture with a mime, and of course, them being mines, he gets invisible money. He facepalms at the irony. He cuts in on two other mascots getting a picture with an elderly couple, getting their attention.

The sailor duck and the other mascot (A/N: I can't tell what he's supposed to be XD) both look at Raph stealing their thunder. He even signs people's phones. The other turtles and Amy all look in shock as Donnie is adding the numbers, and by the looks of it, they've achieved their goal. And all he was doing was showing his face in a simple hippo costume!

A kid is about to take a picture with Atomic Lass, but he goes over to Raph instead. She throws down her hammer in anger.

"Hear ye, hear ye, people of Times Square!" Raph calls out as he's holding a kid on his shoulder. "The most famous turtle hippo in the world, is available for pictures and Quinceaneras!"

"No one takes tourists away from Atomic Lass," The mascot grips her hammer as the other mascots join her, including a robot vampire and a blue bird with a captain's hat. "I can't believe you guys are falling for this hack!" She approaches Raph. "Memes come and go, but we've always been here for you, for a small fee." The crowd just stares at them, seeming to side with Raph. Raph chuckles at them.

Atomic Lass looks around as no one says nothing. "Let's show these newbies how we roll," She snaps her fingers and starts singing as the other four mascots move around him.

"My hero Atomic Lass may be about to sing!" Donnie moves over to Leo. As another mascot sings, Raph gets poked on the head from the sailor duck.

"That's not neighborly-" He gets pushed from behind by the robot vampire. Atomic Lass moves around like a ballerina, holding his hippo head with the hammer. "You really don't wanna mess with me," Raph warns as one of the mascots hits his knee with a pipe. "Ow!" The bird captain bumps him by the hip.

"No. Way," Leo clenches his fist. "Nobody messes with Raph like that...except for us." Mikey falls from his seat. "Suit up!"

They look at a Jupiter Jim poster. "Time to teach those creeps a lesson and earn that money back for Pops' gift!" A compartment opens up to reveal a headband with antenna on it, a fanny pack, hair dye, and a fishbowl. Donnie puts on the headband with his goggles over his eyes as Leo puts on the fanny pack. "And we're gonna do it Jupiter Jim style!"

"I can't even recognize myself!" Mikey exclaims as he's using the fishbowl as a make-shift helmet. Amy has dyed her blonde highlights neon pink, with one pink streak on both sides of her hair, on the bottom, and on her bangs. They stand in heroic poses as the door is open.

"Jupiter Jim turtle aliens, and pink-a-boo," Leo winks at her, "Ahoy!"

"Hey, ship-related adventures only," Amy reminds him as they follow him out into the open. Donnie comes back to the open door, putting on the car alarm as he whistles a certain theme.

"Remember to tip robot vampire or she'll suck your blood!" Robot Vampire says as he takes Raph's hippo head and he tries to get it back, only for him to be hit by Atomic Lass' hammer.

"And we'll spit yours if you ever invade our turf again." Suddenly, the other turtles and Amy come in, flipping the sailor duck's head around. "What the?!"

Leo lands on a gyro stand. "Jupiter Jim's turtle aliens flying in to rescue one of our own," He says with a grin, Raph joining them.

"Yeah!" He's relieved they came to help.

"I can't believe I'm this close to my childhood idol, Atomic Lass!" The others all glare at him that he's fanboying over her. "Oh right, bad guys, yeah. I'm on it."

"Way to get your priorities in check, Donnie," Amy shakes her head.

"Show these folks how we mascots are downtown, Robot Vampire!" The sailor duck commands and he moves forward towards them. They prepare themselves, ready for a fight. Robot Vampire skates up to them and then shows his stereo body, pressing play. He emits some music, the muscle mascot nodding his head to the beat. He leaps forward and holds his body with one hand, spinning his legs around. He lands on his feet, crossing his arms as the crowd cheers.

Raph glances at Amy and Mikey. "Mikey?"

"Donnie?" Mikey asks in response.

"Activate music mode," Donnie's robotic shell turns into a mini DJ station. It floats up into the air and turns around, Mikey laying down the beats.

"Mellie, how about something with a little feeling?" Raph grins at her and Amy smirks, lifting her sunglasses off her face. She backflips twice, bending down to her knees. She kicks up her legs back and forth, emitting electric orbs. The mascots yelp, running around and dodging them as they hit the floor. Amy backflips, landing on her feet.

"Time to go to obedience school," Leo eggs on, flipping and spinning around like a hip-hop dance. He shuffles his feet as he moves back to Amy, who was clapping for him.

"Not bad, bringing a sword to a chain fight," The muscle mascot whips his chain at Leo, who shifts left to right, dodging them with his moves. He flips and jumps, getting closer and blocking the chain with his sword.

"Now who's a bad boy?" His arm is grabbed by the chain, but Leo throws it and the mascot away. "You are." Amy looks at the crowd cheering with a smile, clapping slowly. Someone holds up a meh sign and Amy kicks him away casually. The mascot growls, shaking his fist.

Atomic Lass appears behind Leo, shaking her body back and forth, moving her arms as she moves around in a circle, striking a pose that has Leo shocked.

"Outta the way," Donnie moves past him, using his staff as a rocket to fly over to her. "I get to dance with her." He moves around her and then lands in front of her. "Coming at ya." He does the running man before offering his hand to her. Atomic Lass just dances around him, but he hollers and grabs her hand anyway. He dances with her quickly, gaining some cheers to the crowd.

"Oh please," Amy rolls her eyes and Leo grins. He takes her hand, pulling her so that they're near Donnie and Atomic Lass. "Hey, what-"

He tugs her close with some very interesting, controlled strength that she wasn't expecting.

"Come on, one dance with me won't kill you," He grins, grip tightening on one hand as the other slips down her waist. Amy's eyes widen and she could only nod. He had a point, one dance wasn't gonna damage anything.

"Salsa time~!" He calls out and she forces her mind to think of some moves. Okay, she could do this.

She starts to move her hips slightly as a Spanish beat comes on. Of course salsa had to be with that type of music, but Amy found it traditional. Leo starts to move too and she lets her right leg speak for her as it swivels in a half circle on the floor.

Leo chuckles at her move, "What was that?"

"You're the one who started this. So can you handle it?" Amy smirks at him as she liked it. Leo laughs, looking around at the crowd before he suddenly jerks her closer and she holds in a breath. He plants one leg backwards, turning and going back to her.

"Does that answer your question?"

Amy grins and lifts up her left leg gracefully and they dance together in sync. Amy thrusts her feet forward and Leo hops off on them. Everyone is watching them, the turtles looking at them in shock as Leo twirls Amy around. They swivel around in a tango, Amy kicking up and swinging her right foot around. She moves it all around and they slide their feet forward. They slide their legs together slowly and Amy bends down as he's holding her hand. She comes back up for a twirl, wrapping her leg around his body. She lifts up her other leg to his head, everyone clapping in amazement.

It was like the music was speaking for them, and Amy liked it. The two smile at the crowd, Donnie growling as he dances with Atomic Lass in a four-way showdown. Leo, still holding Amy's waist with one hand, picks her up and spins around. They slide to the left together and Atomic Lass nods her head at her mascots. They walk away and the two do some fancy footwork. Leo lifts up his foot and Amy hops in the air with them as her boost like she was a feather.

The one thing that stands out to Amy is that nothing's happening with her electricity. She didn't know what it is, maybe it's because she's dancing so fluently. She's never moved like this before, much less with Leo no less. Leo spins her back around to her feet.

As Leo and Amy move past the crowd, she takes a bowler hat from a man and places it onto her head. The crowd cheers and Leo spins her around in the air, both of them laughing. They didn't want to stop, it was just so fun. Leo takes the hat off her head as she twirls around, throwing it back to the man's head perfectly. Some people hand over their money to Mikey.

Atomic Lass gives a signal to her fellow friends as they're holding a bag of marbles. Amy lets go of Leo and twirls around without stopping, her hair flying. The other mascots drop the marbles onto the ground. Amy gasps sharply, tripping on the marbles and falling to the ground. Everyone gasps at her misstep.

Donnie dips Atomic Lass holding her waist with one hand. He doesn't notice her laughter. "Any chance you and Atomic Lad are splitsville?" Some girls squeal, fainting at his moves. Leo helps Amy up as she pants.

"You okay?" He asks, sad that their dance was over.

"No, I fell," She rubs her waist and he smiles down at her.

"But you were amazing."

"Yeah...we were, weren't we?" Amy smiles back.

Donnie is suddenly hit by the sailor duck and he lands on the ground.

"You dance as good as you cosplay, son!" The duck brags.

"Hey!" He glances at Raph, who punches his fists. "Dance-pick on somebody your own size." He moves his arms up and down, shaking his hips. He shuffles around, kicking a foot into the air and shaking his hips some more. Two of the mascots flip in the air, striking a pose near Atomic Lass, who flips forward and does some moves of her own. Leo and Donnie look at their moves, flabbergasted. She spins on the ground and crosses her arms.

"Bring it, ya puke!"

Amy looks around and smirks, twirling a microphone into her hand as the other turtles surround her. Mikey throws down a smokebomb and when the smoke clears, they're gone. All of the screens turn into the turtle hippo meme, elevating the crowd. The turtles and Amy are standing at the biggest screen, Amy lifting up a leg as her sunglasses are back on. She presses a button from a stereo and sings into the mic as the turtles are her back-up dancers. Amy starts dancing with them in sync, between Leo and Raph. She whips her hair as they whip their masks, rolling their arms. They kick the air twice, swinging one leg back and forth.

The stereo with the hippo head floats over to a man, who puts money inside. The five continue dancing as Amy continues singing, shaking her hips, bringing her arm to her head. Leo closes his eyes as he listens to her voice. If this was heaven, he didn't want to be brought back to life. She then stops and they flip onto the ground.

"Oh ho, it has been brought!" Raph brags as they have more than enough money for Splinter's gift. Finally, no more nightmare fuel! Amy grins as she holds out a palm and the turtles low-five her. "Now, let's go get Dad's robe."

Atomic Lass sags at their loss. "Give us the green, Green!" She throws her hammer at Donnie, who ducks before he has to use his staff to block her attack. His rocket appears and it knocks her back.

"Sorry!"

"Don't say sorry, they're trying to take our money!" Amy calls out and his staff flies towards Atomic Lass, knocking her mascot head off.

"Oh no, no, no."

"Oh me gosh, you knocked that lady's head clean off!" Mikey shouts, pointing to Atomic Lass. There doesn't appear to be anyone inside there. The body gets up on its own, but it's not a lady. It's the red-bearded man Raph bumped into earlier.

"You!" Raph accuses, Donnie lifting his goggles as the others look confused. They look over to Atomic Lass' hammer, which opens up. Stolen items fall out of it, including Raph's own wallet. "You stole my wallet!"

"Huh. So you didn't lose it," Amy murmurs.

"It better still have my Teddy Bear Town-" The sailor duck starts to poke him with the beak. "Hey! Alright, let's see what your ugly mug looks like!" He punches the head off and everyone screams as the head moves past the others.

At first there's nothing until the mascot is revealed to be a mutant cockroach. Raph screams as the other three reveal themselves to be mutant cockroaches as well. The whole crowd start to scream, running away from the chaos.

"Metamorphosis, that took an unexpected left turn!" Donnie exclaims, as they've gone from a dance battle to this. Atomic Lass appears behind them, showing her true form. By this time, the whole crowd is gone.

"You thought you were the only mutants in New York?" One of them asks and Amy gags at the sight of them.

"Look, all we wanted was a little money to buy our Pops a gift!" Raph exclaims at them.

"Boo hoo!" The mutant cockroach holds up Raph's coupon. He was one stamp away from getting a free bear. "Tell it to one of your teddy bears!" He rips it up into pieces and Raph shrieks in shock. He blows the remains in Raph's face and he starts to grow angry.

"Don't you dare make fun of Dr. Huggenstein, Captain Snuggles, or Cheech!" He punches the cockroach away. Mikey leaps, landing in front of him.

"Let's get everybody their money back!"

Donnie lands next to him, spinning his staff. The battle is on as Leo gets kicked into the gyro stand. He looks up and gasps as the mutant is running up to him. He acts quickly and sprays hot sauce into the mutant's eyes. He chases after the turtle, only for Amy to swing and kick him to the ground, shocking him.

"Lame!" Leo thrusts down his arms. "Thanks for the save, my lady!"

"What would you do without me?" Amy shrugs casually with a grin. A mutant cockroach runs towards her and she backflips away. Leo watches as she shakes her hips back and forth, electricity flowing through her body. She shimmies around and points her fingers at the cockroach, firing an electric orb. "Hot soup!" She moves her hands up her hips, firing an electric spear. Both projectiles hit the cockroach. Smoke comes from her finger and she blows on it.

Donnie blocks weapons with who used to be Atomic Lass. "Spider shell, engage!" A shell shoots up from the Turtle Tank, Donnie spinning around as the cockroach slams down the hammer. His shell removes itself, hitting the cockroach. He jumps up and lets the spider shell lock onto him. Donnie lands on the ground and four robotic arms come from his shell. The cockroach reveals six pairs of arms and Donnie sags at his disadvantage.

Mikey uses his stereo to move around, leaping forward and kicking the mutant cockroach, landing back on the stereo. He jumps, holding his whip. "You give Robot Vampire cockroaches a bad name!" He hits him with the whip and spins him around. "Cowabunga!" He throws the cockroach into a screen, breaking it.

"You're ruining my childhood fantasy," Donnie climbs up the screen with his spider shell, "Of the two of us fighting crime together in uraniumville!" The cockroach follows him and tackles him down on a billboard. The roach leaps towards Donnie and he blocks the attempt with his staff. "You've left me no choice," He presses a button, "But we'll always have Times Square." A blast from his weapon knocks the roach off him and into a shopping cart.

"Hey, the creep's got our money!" Leo calls out as one of them is trying to get away with their cash. He gets stopped by Raph, knocked into the others.

"Boom!" He holds up their earnings as they stand over the defeated mutants. "Thank you, Times Square!"

"Hey wait, isn't that Amelia Smith from Smith's Sweets?!"

Amy's eyes widen as they start to surround her, asking for autographs and pictures. She chuckles nervously as she grasps Leo's arm.

"Home, now."

* * *

Raph holds out the present to Splinter. "Aw, what is this?" He opens it up to see the same robe he usually wore. It may not be original, but it was better than his old one. The five all smile at him, Amy holding out a circle vanilla cake with blue frosting.

"My sons and friend," He blows out the candles, "You honor me."

They all look proud of themselves. "The silky smoothness against my fur, unparalleled. It is really exquisite. I will save it only for the most special occasions."

"Huh?"

"What?"

"But-But-"

"Now, who's up for training?" Splinter puts on a Lou Jitsu video. "As luck would have it, I'm already wearing my jumping jack robe!" He shakes his hips back and forth, showing that underwear again.

"My eyes!" Mikey hugs Raph as the others are horrified. Amy hands the cake to Donnie and picks up a pillow, screaming into it. Seriously, they went through all that trouble and it didn't even make a difference?

"Amy."

She looks up to see Raph whispering, holding out their leftover cash. "Take it, you earned it."

"What?" She looks confused. "But we all earned this money."

"Yeah, but you don't have to deal with that," Mikey jerks a thumb at Splinter, "On a daily basis. Besides, your dance moves are awesome and you're one of our best friends!"

"Friendship's more important than money," Donnie shrugs as she takes it.

"You're hard-working and you helped us out with those cockroaches," Leo grins. "If anything, you should have the rest."

"Thank you," She smiles happily at them, pulling them into a group hug. "But if you tell anyone about this, I'll have to kill you."

"We're sorry about your dad," Mikey frowns at her. "If there was anything we could do..."

"No, don't," Amy waves him off. "Having friends like you and April makes up for it and I wouldn't change that for the world. Besides...if all that bad stuff didn't happen to me...I wouldn't have met you."

The turtles all smile at her fondly that she's opening up. It was a rare sight for all of them to see it at once.

"Seriously, though, that tango was awesome!" Raph exclaims, showing his phone. "It's already gone viral."

Amy's eyes widen as she sees a video of her and Leo dancing. Leo gasps in awe, snatching the phone to look at it. "Wait, who posted that?!"

 **Angel: Sorry I couldn't put the song lyrics, they're not allowed. And if you really want to know what song Amy did, I couldn't decide between Poker Face and Just Dance. I can totally see it as a Lady Gaga song for some reason XDD And also, if you recognize the tango Leo and Amy did, it's from Another Cinderella Story featuring Selena Gomez! Loved that scene...**


	10. Shell in a Cell

**Angel: *sighs slowly* No, I won't do a Big Hero 6 fic with Hiro having a little sister. That's been done a lot and besides, I've done a Big Hero 6 one-shot for Songfics a long time ago. And I won't be talked into doing it either, because I don't want another Sonic X incident. *waves it off* Just because that's my favorite movie or franchise or TV show doesn't mean I HAVE to write a story on it. I love Miraculous Ladybug and you don't see me doing a story on that. Reina is already doing it for me. So, the answer, Starfire16, is a no.**

 **As for Amy's dance moves, I really have no trouble with them. Sometimes I wanna use her powers, and sometimes I'll have her do hand-to-hand combat.**

 **They've changed the air dates to Saturdays at 9:30 am, so I believe there's supposed to be a new episode coming out next Saturday if the wiki is to believed.**

A bell dings at the NYWA, or New York Wrestling Association, the crowd cheering their lungs out. In the middle of the wrestling ring are three wrestlers. Two of them are large and tall while the last one is shorter and dressed in pink. He looks scared for his life, backing away. He then crashes into a table in front of a woman. She has brown skin, dark brown air, and wears a red jacket over a black shirt, with white pants. She spins her microphone into her hand. "Ooo, nasty team-up! But last one in the ring wins the championship! Who will it be, fans? The undefeated Ghostbear! Or the invincible Annihilation!"

The two wrestlers butt heads as soon as the bell rings, grabbing each other and pulling their arms. Up above in the rafters, Mikey and Amy are sitting on the edge, watching. Leo and Raph are wrestling each other. Raph tackles Leo, pumping his fists.

"Go Ghostbear!" He's wearing a shirt in Ghostbear's colors, with '199-0' on it. He rips off his shirt so that the 199 is changed to 200. "He's the greatest ever! He's gonna win number 200 tonight!"

"Eh," Amy just shrugs. "Wrestling isn't real, you know."

Leo jumps onto Raph's shoulders. "Buddy, come on. You know wrestling is bogus, they always pull their punches. Even I could beat Ghostbear," He pokes Raph.

"For once, I have to agree with Leo for the most part," Amy speaks up as Donnie lands next to her, holding out a bag of popcorn. "Popcorn! Thank you," She takes a bite before turning back to Raph while muffling. "Yeah, Ghostbear didn't get to where he is just by being good at fake fighting. Mm, this is good," She wipes her mouth with her arm. Personally, she never liked wrestling, but Mikey convinced her to come. He knew her one true weakness...

The Twilight movies in one single loop...it was horrible...

"Wow, Leo and Amy agreeing, that's a shocker," Donnie comments, Amy giving him a look that said 'Shut up, it's not a rare thing.'

Leo rubs his hands. "Thank you, my lady. Now watch this sweet move! I call this one the Three Star Hurricane!" He starts slapping Raph around with his hands. Amy rolls her eyes, shaking her head. Leo pouts as she's not even looking at him. _What happened to that tango we shared, huh?_ "You think Ghostbear can match these moves?"

"Oh, here we go," Donnie starts off, sitting next to Amy.

"Every time," Mikey mutters and Amy sighs, taking another bite of her popcorn silently. She's seen this several times already. Leo and Raph once got into an argument in her shop during closing time to see who could eat more cupcakes. It was a close game before they had to go puke in the back alley because of how much they ate. Oh well, at least she got to bake for her friends and enjoy a show.

Leo blows a raspberry at Raph. "You take that back, Leo! No one beats Ghostbear!"

"It's only for publicity!" Amy calls out in disbelief before she grunts in defeat, throwing more popcorn into her mouth. Donnie reaches out to the last slice of pizza in the box, but Mikey takes it and puts the whole thing in his mouth.

"Ugh. Okay, you know what? That's fine, you have it. I'll have the next last piece of pizza," Donnie frowns a little as he places his hand under his cheek.

"Thanks, D!" Mikey says happily, obviously not noticing that Donnie was being passive-aggressive. Amy holds out her popcorn and he takes a handful without looking, eating it. There's another bell and they look down to see that Ghostbear is the last one standing, like Raph predicted.

"Ghostbear is the last man in the ring," The host is holding his large hand. "And when I raise his arm, he will officially be 200 and 0!" She starts to lift his arm. Raph holds Leo over his head.

"Ha! Told you, Leo!" Raph brags, Leo not seeming to care.

"Whatever. Ghostbear's just a chump in a costume," Leo dismisses it.

"Called it," Amy holds up a hand and Raph throws him. Leo backflips over to the other three.

"I could beat him. I could beat any of them," He then falls off and Raph pushes past the others.

"Leo!"

"Avenge meeeee!" Leo calls out as Amy gasps. He crashes into Ghostbear, making him sink into the ring. The host then holds up Leo's arm, who just looks shocked that this happened. The crowd gasps, everyone silent. Amy covers her mouth with both hands, speechless.

"People are gonna see him!" Mikey starts to freak out.

"Well, I hope Leo gets home okay. You guys ready to go?" Donnie lifts up a knee, the others glancing at him. He then realizes that this is serious.

"What if he's experimented on?" Amy starts to panic, pacing around. "What if they send him to a military base?!" She wouldn't see him again...

"Why do you care?" Mikey smirks at her and she stops in her tracks, whipping around to see the three turtles looking smug. Amy scoffs at them.

"I don't." She crosses her arms stubbornly. "I'm just concerned."

"And the mystery wrestler of the hour, erasing Ghostbear's flawless record, your new champion...this guy!" The host announces, dropping Leo's arm and throwing the belt on him. Leo looks down at the belt before his eyes go back to the audience, trying to read their looks. What if they freak out? What if they start a riot?!

Instead, everyone cheers for him, surrounding him and taking pictures. Leo chuckles in relief, as they must think he's in a costume. "Alright," He smiles, posing for the cameras. He holds the belt, puckering his lips before he pumps his muscles.

"Wave goodbye to Ghostbear, fans!" The host looks at Ghostbear being taken away to get fixed up. "We'll be right back with more wrestling!"

Leo is taken backstage, acting normal as he can. "I don't know who you are, but in my league, we turn disaster into stone cold cash," She shakes hands with him. "I'm Jessica Jaclyn, what do you go by, kid?"

Leo thinks about for a few seconds before clearing his throat. "Neon Leon?" He grins at the thought.

"That's terrible, we're calling you Primetime now. Let's talk costumes," She throws an arm around him.

"Okay," He chuckles, glancing around for Amy. Maybe now she'd actually pay attention to him.

"How married are you to this whole turtle situation?" She wonders, taking him away. She removes Ghostbear's name from his dressing room. "Remember, you're the champ now." She writes Primetime onto the board. "Anything you need, it's yours." Wait, anything? This was perfect! If his lady saw how good he is, he could finally make some more progress with her! After all, she said anything. "And get ready. I'm putting you in the next match to defend that belt." She kicks open the door, laughing as she pushes him inside. "Primetime in Primetime!" She shuts the door and walks away.

Amy walks through the back door, seeing the name on the dressing room sign.

"This is not happening!" Raph whispers in disbelief, Amy looking up. "Leo doesn't even like wrestling!" But really, he's angry that Leo took away Ghostbear's win. Ghostbear deserved that belt, not Leo!

"Ah, no way, the Liberty League!" Donnie points down and Amy sees the trio. They're meant to resemble presidents or the American flag. Donnie jumps down to them. "Hey hey, fellas. Give it up!" He holds out his hand and is about to high-five one of them...until Mikey does it from above, stealing it from Donnie.

"For your biggest fan!" Mikey jumps down in front of a shocked Donnie.

"Thanks, kid. Nothing like my first high-five of the day," They walk away, Mikey waving after them.

"First my pizza, now my high-five?"

"No one's a winner," Amy pats his shoulder.

Raph jumps down behind them and they stop in their tracks. He slowly stands up and kicks the door open to Leo's dressing room. Donnie, Amy, and Mikey peek inside as Leo has a blue robe over him, sitting on a throne. He has sunglasses over his eyes.

"Ah, dudes, my lady! This wrestling thing is out of control," He throws his sunglasses to Amy, who catches them in shock. "You gotta get on my team and get the trickle downs."

"Leo, even if I wanted to, I wouldn't," Amy places the sunglasses down. "This is wrong, you can't go back out there and defeat giant men." She didn't even want to think about it. What if he got hurt or worse? _Nnngh, stop trying to care, Amy. Remember all of his flirting so far...get it out of your system..._

"Dibs on-"

"Dibs on hype man!" Mikey interrupts, Donnie's eyes twitching.

"You give Ghostbear his belt back, Leo," Raph speaks up, "You're not a real wrestler. And you're not a real champion."

"Uh, correct me if I'm wrong on this," Leo slides over to the two. "But, Ghostbear was your champion, who I just beat," He gestures to himself, "Mm hmm, so that makes me your new champion!" Raph growls at Leo's attitude. "You may now kiss the belt."

"Not funny, Leo!" Raph slams down the vanity, making Leo fly to the seat.

"What's funny is how easy wrestling is. Moment one, I'm in the rafters, moment two, I'm champion of the world! The whole world!" He falls onto the seat.

"You won on accident," Amy points out. "One win doesn't make you a champion and besides, it's wrestling. People do this for pride, not for glory and bragging rights."

"1 and 0!" Mikey exclaims, getting in Amy's face. "Greatest of all time! Hype man."

Leo chuckles at him, "Okay."

"This place has the stench of a phony," Raph mutters.

"That's the champ's muscle bomb. And you will respect it," Leo spins a bottle of moisturizer, squeezing it onto Raph's face. He glances at Raph's face and laughs. "You're hilarious."

"Leo!" Raph wipes it off. "That belt is going to your head, man." Leo squeezes some mousse onto his belt. "You're too close to the bull, and you're gonna get stung."

"Pfft," Leo waves him off, "So, my lady, what do you think of me now?" Leo gestures to himself confidently. "I'm champion of the world, so I think this is a step-up. Do you think I'm a total package? I think we can get something started here, if you know what I mean."

"No!" Amy argues, "Leo, that's not the point of all this."

"Come on, you know I'm awesomer than before. I'm way better for the ladies now," He puckers his lips at her and Amy looks annoyed. She had to agree with Raph, that belt was making Leo confident and kind of a jerk.

"What ladies? You know what? You can have that stupid belt and your attitude," Amy waves him off, "Because I'm not listening to any more of this."

Raph stomps over to the door, trying to open the door. Leo stares at Amy, confused. She was supposed to like him more, but it just drove her away. This was supposed to be a good thing, he was now the most popular wrestler. He was cooler, stronger! And she doesn't care? Raph's hand slips and he growls, trying to get a good grip. He roars and pulls the door open, throwing it to the ground. Amy sighs, walking past him.

"You'll see!" Raph walks out the door.

"Ah, dudes-" Raph comes back and pulls the door, slamming it and knocking some costumes to the ground.

"No way!" Donnie looks down at them. "A genuine Albert Einstein costume and a-"

"A crazy wig!" Mikey puts it on his head. He licks his hands, adjusting the wig to a mohawk. "How do I look, Donnie?"

Donnie grits his teeth as he slowly looks over to Mikey. "Like a man who doesn't know what's coming his way."

"Wait, what?" Mikey laughs nervously.

Amy sighs as she looks through the broken door, pressing her back against the wall near her. She closes her eyes at Leo's attitude. He's never acted that way before...she thinks back to that dance in Times Square they shared together. Ever since it happened, she couldn't stop thinking about how amazing Leo was...how they were...

She lets out a groan, running a hand through her hair before covering her face. How can she think about someone so much when he flirts with her all the time? It boggles her mind and she wants an explanation...but she can't find one.

Leo stands up with a sad sigh, walking over to the door as he contemplates what just happened. Didn't girls like it when guys are all powerful and rich? Wasn't that what she wanted? Or maybe not, given her reaction. Leo presses his hand to the door, heaving a sigh as he presses his forehead to it as he thinks about his lady. Donnie and Mikey stare at him, confused.

At the same time, Amy is in the same position as Leo, eyes closed. As much as she hated to say it, she already wants the old Leo back. She preferred it when he was flirting or comforting her about her own problems...she never had someone who did that before...sometimes he could be so sweet, it was kind of hard to believe that he was the same person.

"Leo? Bro, you okay? Is it-"

"Is it about Amy?" Mikey interrupts, Donnie clenching a fist.

"I'm fine," Leo grunts, slamming a fist slightly into the wall. How could him being the champion of the world feel so right and yet he felt like it was wrong?

"Let's go," Raph grunts, walking past her. Amy glances at the door before she follows after him.

* * *

Jessica Jaclyn stands in the ring, the match about to start. "Are you ready for the main event? Defending his belt in a single pen-fall anything goes match," The jumbo screen shows Leo's 'win' before showing him in a hip-hop outfit. "The newest superstar of the NYWA, with his exotic entourage One Love and Dynamite Don," Mikey poses for the crowd, Donnie just waving his arms like he didn't care. He's in a purple mob suit while Mikey is in the Albert Einstein costume, with a few changes of course. Leo stands up and stops his foot on his float, a rocket launching him to the ring. "Primetime!" Leo jumps in front of the fireworks, landing safely. Mikey and Donnie slide over to him.

"Put your hands together for the challengers," Jessica gestures to the front, red and black lights appearing. "Powerhouse newcomer, Red Reign! And the purrfect partner, Kitty Kat!"

A large man with red and black clothing steps up. Someone rides up to him, backflipping off the motorcycle and landing next to him. She swings her arm back and forth, cracking her whip twice at the ring. They leap into the ring, their size causing the other three to be lifted in the air. Kitty Kay has a sweetheart black corset that hugs her waist perfectly to give her an hourglass figure, with fishnet stockings under black pants and long black boots. Her hair is down, ending at her waist as she wears a black mask over her face. There are cat ears over her head, and she also has a tail. Her lips are bright red and she has long black opera gloves that stop at her gloves.

"Don't sweat 'em, champ," Mikey encourages Leo.

"Yeah, these bozos got nothing on me," Leo brags. Red Reign removes his mask, crushing it to bits before revealing himself as Raph. He looks angry as he narrows his eyes, Leo looking nervous. Kitty Kat removes her mask, throwing it up into the air to reveal herself as Amy. She has purple eyeshadow on her.

Leo blushes at her, trying not to get a nosebleed. She looked so...hot! And attractive. "Okay, which one of you made Raph angry?"

"Red Reign's bringing the pain!" Raph punches his fists.

"This kitty will claw your eyes out!" Amy opens her hand to reveal razor sharp claws on her gloves. She's doing this to get Leo's head together, and if she had to be in the ring, then she would to get him to listen. Truth be told, she didn't want to hurt him.

"And Dynamite Don's with them!" Donnie declares, pointing at the two. He then slaps Mikey's sunglasses off him.

"My eyes!" He exclaims, Jessica holding out the microphone to them.

"I am tired of you taking all my stuff, One Love! I hereby betray you and Primetime, and team up with Red Reign and Kitty Kat! This betrayal is my formal resignation of my managerial position in your entourage," He holds out a contract, Amy rolling her eyes.

"Blip bow, time to wow!" Jessica throws off her clothes, now in a referee uniform. The bell rings, Leo and Raph circling each other.

"I'll teach you how easy wrestling is." Raph flings himself to the strings. "For Ghostbear!" He shoots himself forward, flying right past Leo.

"That was pretty easy," Leo comments, but Raph lands on the other ropes, flying himself into Leo from behind. "Lame!" Leo spits onto his hands. "Feel the sting of my Three Star Hurricane!" he starts slapping Raph around, but it does nothing on him. Raph growls at the fact that Leo's still being cocky. He slams Leo into the ground, using his elbow for a blow.

"How could you turn on your brothers, D?" Mikey demands from Donnie. "Wrestling's about the fans, the pageantries, the thick scent of sweat in the air! Not the violence."

"Pageantries? What kind of wrestling have you been watching?" Amy murmurs to herself as Leo is dragged back into the ring. Mikey and Donnie start fighting. Raph has Leo in a hold.

"Okay, I admit it. Wrestling hurts. Now get off of me," Leo protests. "What is that smell?"

"That's my victory stink!" Raph declares as the bell rings, Jessica sliding over to them to make the call.

"One, two, th-" The lights go out and Amy looks around, confused. The spotlights move around as everyone is confused too, as someone big is in the crowd. "What?" The spotlights close in on Ghostbear, who is now fully healed. The crowd gasps in shock. "Another surprise twist!" Ghostbeat presses a button from the stereo, leaping into the ring.

"He was there the whole time and no one noticed him?" Amy murmurs as the lights go back on. Raph rolls over to him.

"Ghostbear!" Raph's mouth is wide open in awe as he stands up. "I'm your number one fan. Listen, I thought it was really unfair what my brother did to you earlier. So we're good though, right? Can I get a selfie, an autograph, a toenail clipping perhaps?" Ghostbear grabs him by the head, moving him away from his view.

He walks over to Leo. "Grabbed by the ghost," Raph whispers, holding his face. "I'll never wash this face again!"

"I'm not usually a rules guy," Leo speaks up, "But is this legal?"

"I said anything goes," Jessica reminds him. "What I thought was gonna be a two way match will now be a triple trouble chaos in the cage!" She lifts up half her microphone, pressing a red button. A cage drops down from above, trapping all of them inside. "Paving his way back from Loserville to Championship Town, Ghostbear!"

Ghostbear looms over Leo, growling. "Ha!" Raph comes around, "Hey Ghostbear, I got a few ideas on how you can win back your belt. If you want, we could team up and uh-"

Ghostbear grabs him by the collar. "I don't tag team with tortugas!" He throws Raph away, slamming himself onto the floor. Leo is lifted in the air and Ghostbear grabs his leg, throwing him to the ropes. He then pulls on them, sending Leo to the cage. Amy gasps, gripping onto the ropes as she stares at him.

Raph looks happy that Leo's getting what he deserved. "About those ideas to win back your belt, I uh-" Ghostbear places a hand on his shoulder, Raph silently fanboying.

"Hey, your brother took my belt. Let me show you how I stole it in the first place," He reaches behind him, his hand in a fist. "Peek-a-boo!" He blows smoke into Raph's face, blinding his eyes.

"Ah, hey!" Raph stumbles back. "That's cheating!"

Jessica slides over. "I said anything goes."

"Some host," Amy huffs, crossing her arms. Ghostbear chuckles at Raph.

"Hey!" Leo calls out, "Nobody does that to my brother, except my brother!" He leaps into the air, readying his elbow. "Punches!" He crashes against the ground as Ghostbear simply moved out of the way. He pulls on Leo's underwear and lets go, whipping his butt literally as Leo lands on the ground. Amy looks down at him in worry. Leo looks up and sees her face illuminated by the lights. It was the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. Raph slides in front of him.

"You're supposed to be the greatest of all time, not a dirty cheater!" Raph protests, as Ghostbear, in his opinion, would never cheat.

"I told you," Amy calls out, laying her arms on the rope casually. Ghostbear just pushes Raph away.

"Don't believe everything you see on TV, tortuga," He taunts and Raph grabs him from behind.

"Hey! I am so washing my face when I get home." Ghostbear falls against the floor, making Raph let go. He then kicks him, laughing as Raph lands near Leo. "It's true what they say, never wrestle your heroes!"

"Eh, I still think I'd whoop Galileo's butt," Donnie states, Ghostbear grabbing Leo.

"Do something!" Leo calls out as he drags Raph with him. Ghostbear laughs as he holds the two in his hands.

"Time to take you tortugas for a spin!" He spins them around, lifting himself in the air. He laughs as he throws them and they crash into each other, bouncing against the trampoline floor. Ghostbear slams into them, the others looking away with a cringe.

"Uh, Mikey, I am-"

"Pausing our feud because we need to help our brothers?" Mikey interrupts.

"And of course, you took the words right out of my mouth," Donnie grits his teeth, clutching the rope before sighing in defeat. "Now let's prescribe Ghostbear-"

"A taste of his own-Oh, I see what I'm doing. My bad, brother," He sags a little as Donnie has his hand over his face.

"Mikey's just being Mikey, Donnie. You could let him have your sentences once a while," Amy suggests and Donnie nods in agreement, holding out his fist to his little brother. Mikey smiles and they fist-bump each other. Donnie pulls down his tie, missiles coming from it. Ghostbear uses his muscles to block them.

"Check this out!" Mikey pulls out a fake lobster from his costume.

"Where'd you get that?" Donnie wonders.

"It was with that Down under Hunter costume!" Mikey explains, throwing the lobster. It lands on Ghostbear's face.

"I'm allergic to shellfish!" He cries out, stumbling back. Amy frontflips into the ring, lunging forward and scratching Ghostbear. He gets knocked into the ropes, flying over to Amy. She does a handstand and kicks him into the air. She then captures him with her whip while he's in the air, throwing him down onto the ground.

"Whoa!" Leo and Raph exclaim at Amy's moves. She does a playful walk as Ghostbear groans.

"I admit it, Raph, wrestling is moderately harder than I thought," Leo tells his older brother.

"And I admit that Ghostbear is a cheap champ, who needs to get beat." Leo smiles and holds out his fist. Raph fist bumps him back, finally ending their fight. Ghostbear takes off the lobster, standing up.

"Time for your final fall!"

"Think again, bozo. It's primetime!" Raph grabs Leo and Amy, throwing Leo into the ropes. He throws Amy into the air. Leo flies past him, Ghostbear laughing as he missed. Leo goes over to the other side.

"Get a taste of the!" Leo starts off and Ghostbear chuckles, but he doesn't know what's coming.

"Three!" Amy is falling towards Ghostbear.

"Star!" Raph is at the opposite side.

"Hurricane!" The three hit him from left, right, and down. Leo and Raph switch sides as Amy lands in front of Ghostbear. They attack him from all sides, bouncing around.

"Feel the sting of the Three Star Hurricane!" Jessica cheers as everyone else is eating this up. Raph and Leo slap Ghostbear around and Amy thrusts down her hands.

"This kitty's got claws!" She lunges forward and starts scratching him as he feels the burns on his body.

"Ay yi yi!" Leo and Raph pull his face.

"Oh boy!" Leo plants his feet forward, Raph swinging around and throwing him around.

"Hot soup!" Leo slaps Ghostbear's booty, sending him all over the cage. He lands in front of Amy and she smirks, jumping onto his shoulders. She scratches her face before flipping around and throwing him into the ropes, defeating him as he's all tangled up.

"Cowabunga!" Amy, Leo, and Raph declare as they hold the belt. The cage starts to break apart.

"Uh oh," Raph says and the cage goes down. Mikey and Donnie have to cover themselves from the blow, looking up to see Raph and Leo on top of Ghostbear, underneath all the rubble. Amy slips out easily.

"I got this!" Mikey moves his brothers' hands onto Ghostbear's head. "Gimme a three count, D!"

"One, two," A hand places itself onto the others, confusing them.

"Three!" Jessica throws up her arm. "And in another surprise twist, the winner is...me!" She lets herself have all the attention.

"What?! That's not fair!" Raph protests as the brothers try to get them out.

"But these out of left field twists make wrestling the best!" Leo cheers, Amy rolling her eyes. "Ames...I'm sorry I let this go to my head. I thought you would like me more since I was a big deal and all. But what I did instead was act like a jerk. And now you probably hate me," He looks down sadly and Amy stares at him in wonder that he was doing that for her attention. _He...did all that for me? Just to impress me of all people? Now_ she understood what was going on. She offers him a soft smile.

"But you don't need to change, Leo. I like you just the way you are," She tells him, leaning in and kissing his cheek softly. Leo's eyes widen in surprise, gasping as he got a kiss! He giggles, hearts in his eyes as he finally got a kiss! It was on the cheek, but still a kiss nonetheless! Amy just chuckles at him. She had to do something to make him feel better. She didn't realize it until now, but...she actually likes Leo a little bit more than she did previously.

Maybe if he made it worth her while, she'd actually return his feelings one day.


	11. Minotaur Maze

**Angel: I know that the turtles discovered the mutant pizza place in this one, which I wasn't expecting, to be honest. And I'm aware that Amy isn't familiar with it like they are in the Fast and the Furriest episode, but I can handle the fact that she's with them in this episode. *waves it off* I couldn't predict this episode taking place before one I've already published.**

 **Oh, and please...tone down the ideas for this story. If you guys trust me for 4 years that I've been doing this to give you awesome stories, then certainly you can trust me to write this story. I'm definitely no expert here, no one is, and I'm not perfect with my stories, can't deny that. But I'd like to think that people trust me to give them a good story at this point. If I were the reader instead of the writer, I would definitely have faith in that writer.**

 **Yes, I appreciate the thought and your lovely imaginations, but please XD I've-I've honestly had enough of getting new ideas every single time I update this. Just...calm yourselves down a bit, please? I still want to hear new ideas from you guys, but keep it simple. There is already enough in my mind for just one episode, I don't want to do anything drastic to my visions. I'm very particular about that.**

 **Regarding the episode The Longest Fight, it's the 16th one, so that's not going to be updated anytime soon. As soon as I find it, I'll write it, but I won't publish it until I get there. I don't want to post it and then delete it every time a new episode comes out.**

The turtles are demonstrating their powers as Raph makes a giant red wave appear. They're on top of a building near an alley. Amy's not there because she's out making her night deliveries before she closed up tonight. After weeks of them begging, she finally gave in and decided to teach them some moves with their weapons. They were making good progress, and since she couldn't be there at the moment, she encouraged them to try them out. They still wanted to know...how did she know what to do? Like she's shown before, she knows how to use them and what to do with them. Donnie tried asking once, and he ended up getting a slap to the face. Their curiosity was still there, mind you, but after that attempt, they didn't dare ask. They'll find another way to get information soon.

"Ooo, cool," Donnie comments dryly at Raph's move. He didn't need mystic powers, he already knew his skills were better off without a mystic weapon.

"Oh yeah!" Mikey exclaims as he spins his burning whip in the air. He tries to attack Raph, who blocks his attempt with his arms. Mikey lands between his two brothers, still spinning the whip. "Check this out! Power burn jitsu!" The fire escalates as it approaches Raph.

"Uh oh," Raph is caught in the fire tornado. "Hot, hot, hot!" He smirks at Mikey's new move. "Not bad, not bad. But check out these puppies! Total power jitsu!" He makes his red fists appear, dissolving the fire. His brothers look at him in awe, as they didn't know he could even do that. Leo instantly pushes Raph so he could have his time.

"If you guys wanna see some _real_ skill, look right here," He brags, Raph staring down at him. "I'm gonna make a portal to New Jersey!" He swings his sword, twirling it into a circle, but nothing happens. He couldn't really control his portal power, as it doesn't do anything when he wants it to. "Come on, power portal jitsu." He groans, internally grateful that Amy's not here to see this. He swings again, but no portal appears. His brothers just watch him silently until he makes one. "Yeah!"

Raph can't help but laugh as it's not even half Leo's size. "That's not gonna get you across the street, let alone to Jersey!" He chuckles as Mikey reaches out to the portal in awe. "Have you been paying attention to Mellie's lessons at all?"

"I've been paying attention...maybe." He answers sheepishly, the other turtles giving him a blank look. He probably got distracted by her again. "Okay, buuut," Leo reaches through it and another portal opens up behind him. "See, it's practical, which makes it better." He starts scratching his shell, but that was to take attention away from the fact that he can't make a good portal. Also he wished it was his lady scratching his shell instead. Those soft bands could do wonders. Donnie is doing something to his googles near the edge. Mikey looks over to him.

"Hey Donnie, what are you doing, bud?"

"Well, while you guys and Amy took flashier items from Draxum, I on per hand, took a more cerebral one," He holds up the crystal he took from the underground city. "See, this crystal, combined with the elements-"

"Get to the point," Leo interrupts in boredom, Donnie glaring at him. He'd much rather hang out with Amy than to listen to this. The turtle sighs to himself at the thought of his lady.

Donnie inserts the crystal inside his goggles. "Now I can see all of the mystic energy hidden around New York, you're welcome and thank you," He puts his goggles back on his head and pulls them down. Raph joins him at the edge.

"Whoa, that's awesome," He comments, and sees a laundromat down below. "Hey, what about that laundromat?"

Donnie looks closer. "It looks like a...laundromat." He can also see a cat licking itself, but nothing out of the ordinary. An old woman is walking by with a cart. "But what do we have over here?" He pulls down his goggles again and sees red mystic energy coming from the woman. "Whoa, underneath that old lady's skin is some sort of fire mutant thing." The woman looks around as she's standing in the alley to make sure she's not being watched. She waves her finger in front of a graffiti-covered wall and blue fire comes from it, opening a secret mystic doorway to somewhere. She walks through the wall, leaving behind the cart.

"She just disappeared into that wall!" Mikey exclaims, hands on his cheeks.

"I believe she went into some sort of cool mystic pizza place," Donnie speaks, slapping away Leo's hand from his goggles.

"Pizza!" Mikey looks down at his stomach. "Guys, my blood sugar's getting low. I need to eat! Bad!"

They jump down from the building, landing in the alley right in front of the wall. "Step aside," Leo stands in front of them. "Let's put the second-prettiest face first," he gestures to himself. His brothers look at him in confusion at his wording. He wouldn't tell anyone, but he only thought of one person who was prettiest and that was his pink-a-boo.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Raph answers skeptically. Leo could be a little bit too confident in himself at times.

"Why?" Leo asks in disbelief, "The only one who's gonna get us inside is me!" He starts waving his fingers, but the skeleton head just blows a raspberry at him.

"Nice try, pretty boy," Raph pushes Leo, waving his hand. The blue flame appears and the wall opens. "Awesome!" He jumps through, followed by Donnie and Mikey.

"Don't leave me!" Leo calls out as he falls behind. Raph squeezes his eyes shut and when he opens them, he sees a regular pizza place, but with mutants. It was almost like the mutant city they saw, but smaller. These mutants act like regular humans, especially with the waiters. It was almost like they were living a normal life. Donnie and Mikey step forward, Raph stopping them.

"Alright, alright," He holds them up in the air. "Everybody be cool. This is our first time in a classy restaurant...uh, establishment."

"Hey guys," they hear, turning around to see only Leo's head through the wall. "This wall is definitely broken." His body is stuck on the other side, with pigeons resting on it. He gasps as he hears something behind him and stays quiet. A bike pulls up next to the alley and the person gets off, walking up to Leo's body. "Guys, guys, someone's behind me!" Leo sweats nervously and their eyes all widen. He tries not to move as he could hear something clicking. "What do I do, what do I do?!"

"I don't know!" Raph tells him as the person stops right in front of Leo's body.

"What...is going on with this?"

Leo sighs in relief as Amy is standing at the wall, her helmet off as she holds it against her hip. She's not in her bakery uniform, as she doesn't wear it with her deliveries. She would usually wash it at home before she did her hourly deliveries. It's because it would always smell like cake and flour and she didn't want that around the customers.

"My lady!" Leo exclaims happily and she sighs slowly. Brit Worley suddenly comes out of nowhere as he was spying on Amy while she was riding her bike. He shakes off some trash as some toilet paper is stuck to his shoe.

"Time for my revenge!" He declares and Amy smirks, pulling out a can from her bag. Leo listens in on the conversation.

"Hey, before you start, hold onto this for me," She tosses it to him. He catches it easily. After all, it was just a harmless can, so he didn't care for her minor request.

"And now, I will-" A bunch of black cats appear around him and he backs away. "W-What?! Get away from me!"

"Cat food does wonders in an alley like this," She winks at him and he runs away screaming as she turns back to Leo, who's laughing. She's been past this alley many times, so she was prepared for things like this...well, except for her 'friend' stuck in a wall. That was new.

"You know...I'm trying to figure out whether or not I should just leave you here," She murmurs, glancing at her bike, as she still had one last delivery. She is talking to him through brick, and she couldn't even begin to describe how weird it was. She's already wasting enough of her time.

"No, wait! Don't leave! I, uh...need some help," Leo says nervously as his brothers don't bother to do anything.

"With?" Amy questions skeptically, throwing her helmet onto her bike's seat.

"Could you push me inside here?" He sweats a bit and one of Amy's eyes twitch.

"That...is a tall order, wonder turtle. I'm not done with my deliveries and I have to ask...why do you need to go through a wall? And how you are even through this wall at all is what boggles my mind." Not only that, she didn't want to feel any part of him when all she could see is his butt and his shell. It felt weird just thinking that.

The other turtles can't help but snicker at Leo's struggle and slight embarrassment. This is not how he wanted his lady to see him.

"Oh, well, we followed someone and she made this portal appear," Leo starts off, glaring at his brothers for their laughing, "And it leads to this cool mutant pizza place, you should really come inside!"

"Stop," Amy holds out her hand, "You know for a fact that I don't do mutants besides you guys and I'm technically still working. So I think I'll just be on my way."

Leo smirks to himself as he has leverage. He knows just how to get her inside. Amy's eyes widen at his silence, backing away in horror. "Leo, don't you dare."

"In 3."

"This isn't gonna work, you know!"

"2." Leo's smirk widens.

"I swear if you do it-"

"1."

"I'm not listening to this!" Amy is about to walk away.

"Come on, Amy, let's go party~" Leo sings in the tone of Barbie Girl by Aqua, the other turtles fist bumping at each other.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Amy groans, dragging a hand down her face in defeat. She absolutely hated that song so much, it was so cheesy. If she didn't help, he'd continue, and god forbid if she let that happen. "Fine! You win, I'll go inside, but I'm disguising myself!" Amy pulls a cloak from a clothespin above and drapes it over her shoulder, pulling the hood over her head. She pauses as she stands in front of Leo's body as she doesn't know where to touch him...or where she didn't want to touch him.

"Like what you see?" Leo grins and she rolls her eyes, kicking him inside with her foot. She jumps in behind him and glares down at him.

"I hate you so much right now."

"To love or to hate, that is the question," He grins up at her, the other turtles greeting her.

"Hey Amy."

"Sup Mellie."

"Hi!"

Raph turns around and sees a booth. "Hm, a table. What do we do?"

"Okay, be cool," Donnie reminds him as Amy covers her face. "I think we just sit at it and ask for stuff." They all glance at Amy for confirmation, who gives them a thumbs up.

"Uh, like regular people?" Mikey asks, Amy giving him a look. "Ohh, right. Sorry."

Raph just shrugs and starts walking. "I think here we _are_ regular," Donnie replies, Leo shaking his fist at that dang wall.

"This place needs to be fumigated," Amy comments in disgust. She already wanted to leave, the place was crawling with unnatural things and she didn't like it.

"Never forget, you are a champion, bro," A large mutant with a cape walks past Leo, high-fiving his friend.

"Thanks bro. I was having a real exponential crisis!"

Leo glances to where they came from and looks in awe at a doorway. The sign says 'Prove you're a champion.' This is definitely up his alley. He glances at Amy, who sits with the others as her pink cloak hides her body. His eyes sparkle as he could see it now. She'd definitely look at him in a likable way if he became a champion! And besides, he needed to prove that not only for himself, but for his brothers too.

He walks through the doorway, looking in shock at all the pictures. They cover up the whole wall. All of these mutants became champions? Leo's eyes sparkle as he steps forward, as it wasn't too far away for him to become one of them.

"Whoa ho ho," A skeleton man stops him from moving forward.

"Aw, ew, gross," Leo looks at him in disgust as the arm is actually being held with the right hand.

"Oh no, no, no, no, this is not for you," Skeleton man puts his arm on his shoulder.

"Prove you're a champion. Oh, this is definitely for me," Leo gestures to himself.

Skeleton man chuckles, "Well, no, it's not. You, my friend, are not a champion, so-"

"But you see, bone man, and can I call you bone man?" Leo doesn't wait for an answer as he gestures to himself again. "I _am_ a champion and I wanna know what's behind your robe."

"Well you need not to be concerned with el labrinto de la muerte. Or as you would call it, The Maze of Death," Skeleton man retorts back. Leo, to him, was average and not capable of handling it.

"Ominous," Leo comments to himself, "Also, a question. When I solve your Maze of Death, what do I get?"

"You get your picture immortalized in our Wall of Champions. Also, pizza," He points to a sign that says 'World's Greatest Pizza.' "The World's Greatest Pizza."

"Well, guess whose face is about to go on that wall?" Leo asks with a grin. "I've solved all kinds of mazes. You're looking at the maze master, mister." Actually, he hasn't gone through that many mazes. But what actual harm could it do to him?

"Be warned," Leo opens an eye. "In this maze, the use of mystic powers is strictly forbidden.

Ooo, that could be a problem. But a simple maze shouldn't be that hard. "No powers? Perfect, I never touch the stuff, I'm old-school."

Skeleton man sighs in defeat. "Fine. Would you like to enter alone?"

"You know what, make it for five." His brothers and Amy were hungry, so why do plain disgusting pizza when the world's greatest pizza could be way better than what they've had. Quality trumps everything and the maze was only a minor battle. "Because what's the point of being a champion if you can't rub it in your brother's face?" He wanted to brag Raph that he could be way better than anyone. And he also wanted to impress Amy.

"Sweet salvation," Mikey is about to dig into a slice when Leo smacks it away from his hands. "Hey!" The pizza, which landed on a customer, is eaten by a mutant lizard. "My salvation!"

"Come on, what are you doing?" Leo asks while Mikey is crying. "Don't eat that run of the mill garbage when you can have the world's greatest pizza?" He gestures to the sign.

"Oh please," Donnie denies while Raph is patting Mikey on the head in comfort. "Every place in New York claims to have the world's greatest pizza."

"Advertisement is overdone these days, unfortunately," Amy rolls her eyes, crossing her arms. "Take it from someone who knows business, don't believe everything you read."

"I take offense to that, senorita," Skeleton man points his arm at her and she slaps it away without a care.

"Let me tell you something, senor, if you point that nasty arm at me, you're gonna lose your other one!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, but this pizza is behind a velvet rope," Leo points to the red velvet rope. "Velvet rope, guys. Velvet rope," Leo gets smacked by Skeleton Man. Amy grins at him, as she disliked him a little less, but only a little. "You know that means quality!" He puts his arms around them. They knew he wasn't going to stop until they agreed.

They move past the curtain and the curtain immediately disappears behind them, closing off their access. Leo grins, chuckling as he got them through.

"Leo, what is this place? Thought you said we were getting pizza," Raph says as they look at the structure in front of them. It looks like a giant labyrinth with something glowing green in the center. From the top, it looks like a pepperoni pizza.

"It's nothing," Leo dismisses it. "We just gotta solve an easy, straight-forward maze first," That last word is echoed.

"Wait, what? I didn't sign up for a pre-meal maze," Raph looks around as Leo is grinning.

"Yeah," Mikey rubs his tummy. "This looks really hard. My tummy wants easy food."

"Don't worry, just follow me," While he's talking, Amy is standing behind him, mocking him as she's moving her hand. "All I need is my pink-a-boo to encourage me!" She cringes at that as her eyes widen slightly. Then it turns into annoyance as she groans to herself. "Onward, boys and my lovely lady!" He walks forward and Amy's eyes twitch slightly at the lovely part. Raph pats her shoulder as they walk past her. She gets shocked and coughs up some smoke.

* * *

"Left here, follow my lead," Leo tells them as they end up in a dead end. "Left again."

"No!" Raph argues at another dead end.

"Yes!"

"No, we're lost!"

Tears come to Mikey's eyes as he presses his cheek against the wall. Getting pizza seemed so hopeless now.

"Guys, trust me. It's this way," Leo replies as they slowly follow, getting bored and impatient. Everything just looked the same to them, it was a wonder if they've crossed every single corner twice.

"Leo, we've been trusting you for hours, and we've gotten nowhere," Amy gestures to the maze. "Why should I even have to tell you that?"

"Maybe I'd guide us better if I got a little reward, hmm?" Leo leans in close and she stiffens, eyes darting around nervously as the turtle moves closer. He puckers up his lips and she places her hand over his mouth quickly.

"Not a chance, wonder turtle," She deadpans and they hear a growling noise. They all turn over to Mikey, who's clutching his stomach.

"That's not my tum tum," He tells them. Amy listens closer as she knows what that sound is.

"That sounds like ba-"

"No, no, no, that is the sound of baking. We must be close! We're so in sync, you and I," Leo winks at Amy, who narrows her eyes at him. He stops in his tracks. "Wow, look at this. They make the pizza right in front of you!" They are these pizza utensil mutants who are supposedly making pizza. There's a pizza cutter one and a cheese grater one. The pizza gets thrown into an oven, which is also a mutant. Leo walks up to them.

"Can we get five extra larges? One meat-lovers, one definitely not Hawaiian, okay how does everybody feel about olives?" Leo takes Amy's hand, brings it up gently to his lips, and kisses it. "And one cherry soda for my lady if you got any."

Amy scoffs, taking her hand back. "A soda? Really?"

"Okay, a diet cherry soda," He grins at her and she rolls her eyes silently with a small smile. He still got the cherry part right, at least, as it was one of her favorite flavors...not that she'd let that slip out. He probably guessed it since she has them at her store. The mutants stare at them, growling.

"Uh, looks like they hate olives," Mikey comments nervously. The mutants run up to them, along with a rolling pin as the oven hops over.

"Okay, okay, we don't need olives!" Leo blocks swords with the pizza cutter one as Donnie is punched by the cheese grater. Mikey gets hit by the rolling pin. Raph punches his hands and punches the cheese grater, only to have to duck by a grater.

"Whoa!" His mask tails are slightly cut off. "Nice try Shred-Head. Try my mystic punch jitsu," He pulls out his tonfas, his red energy appearing on his arms. Leo sees him and cuts the pizza mutant cutter in pieces. He runs up and trips in front of Raph.

"No mystic powers!"

"No mystic powers?" Raph asks in confusion, as Leo would never tell him not to use them. He gets pinned down by the cheese grater and one slice later, he's cut in half by Leo. He smirks, placing his sword on his shoulder.

"Ahh!" They turn to see Donnie trying not to get burned alive by the oven mutant. "Help, help!" Amy runs into action and pushes Donnie to the ground, Raph throwing the oven mutant into the rolling pin one. It breaks into pieces and Raph turns to Leo for an explanation.

"What's up with this maze, Leo? I almost got my cheeks grated," He steps closer and Leo looks away, gasping as he sees something. In the middle of the maze, where the green light was, there is a large statue holding a pizza box. It has sausage, pepperoni, onions, and mushrooms on it with the finest cheese.

"Relax, we solved it! The pizza's just over-" Their path is closed off. "Oh no, it's closing!" The path right next to them closes off, and so does the one behind them. The other turtles start freaking out as they're now stuck in that one spot.

"Oh, come on!" Leo slams his hand against the brick, Raph walking up to him.

"Now why can't I just use my power punch and take down this wall?" He demands and Leo turns around.

"Funny story, but I may have left one little thing out," Leo pinches his fingers together. "The only rule in the Maze of Death is no mystic powers."

"Maze of what now?" Raph asks in confusion.

"Wait, what did you do?" Amy looks at him, narrowing her eyes.

"Okay, two things," Leo corrects himself as the walls start to shake. They start moving and Donnie looks up to see spikes appearing on the wall in front of him.

"Aw no," Mikey backs away to Donnie as the same thing happens on the other wall. Fire emits from one of the holes and Donnie jumps out of the way.

"Uh, guys?" He calls out as Raph is staring down Leo.

"Not now, Donnie. What's going on here, Leo?" Raph crosses his arms as Leo has been acting suspicious during this whole maze thing.

"Nothing, we're just here to get pizza...and to get my photo on the wall of champions," He whispers that last part as Mikey dodges fire, Amy yelping as she has to slide underneath one. Mikey's head is on fire. Her eyes widen as she remembers what Leo said.

"Wait, so you tricked us in here to get your stupid picture taken on some dumb wall?!" She exclaims angrily, stepping up to him as she points to him in anger. "I'm risking my life for that?! And you just expected us to look over that because there was pizza involved, didn't you?"

He did not want to tell her the other reason, so he wasn't going to. If he did, she'd probably laugh at him or wouldn't want to do anything with him anymore. He couldn't have his pink-a-boo hate him.

"Aha! I knew we weren't here for pizza!" Raph accuses, as he suspected something was up. Mikey freaks out at the fire. "You wanted to come here so you could get your picture on the wall," Mikey runs around screaming. "To prove you're the best at something!" Amy glances at Mikey and gasps, running after him. Donnie and Amy pull out their weapons, extinguishing Mikey with foam.

"That's what I just said," Leo admits, sagging his shoulders while the other two are dealing with the fire, spikes, and other things.

"Don't try to deny it, Leo. I got you!"

"I'm not trying to deny it," Leo points out, as he admitted it.

"Can you actually do something useful and HELP US FOR A CHANGE?!" Amy calls out as the walls close in. She thinks to herself. There's a rule about mystic powers, but not about _natural_ powers. Amy takes a deep breath and moonwalks, electricity following her feet. It hits the brick wall, but it does nothing. Amy gives a sound of shock that her powers didn't work.

"We're trapped, how are we gonna get out of here?" Leo asks in fear.

"MAKE A PORTAL!" The others yell at him.

"I can't, it's against the rules. I'll never get my picture on the wall of champions," Leo looks down. And then he wouldn't make a difference, he'd be a loser!

"Who cares about some picture when we're gonna be crushed?" Raph retorts back.

"Fine," Leo groans in defeat. Amy glances at the other turtles and steps up to him.

"Hey...just remember what I said during our training sessions, and you'll be fine," She places her hand on his shoulder. His eyes widen nervously as he didn't really listen to her lessons at all...He tries to make one appear.

"I can't do it. I got no mystic mojo, I'm useless."

"What!" Amy exclaims in disbelief at him. "Leo, you know you're not useless. You're so much more than that. You're charming, you're funny, and..." She leans in and whispers. "You...understand me."

Leo's eyes widen at that as he looks at her. Amy looks away like she didn't say that, scratching her nose. He smiles to himself at her words.

"Hey," Raph puts his arms around his shoulder. "That's not true, brother. You just gotta believe in yourself and know this. If I die in this maze, I will haunt you for the rest of your life."

"Well in theory, you'd both be ghosts, so I'm not sure how you would-"

"Donnie!" Raph yells, turning around. "Not helping!"

"You know, it'd really help me if you guys said that I was your champion," Leo looks like he's about to cry as he wanted to hear that so bad. Raph pushes him forward.

"Just go and do it!" The other turtles yell. Leo holds his sword, Amy glancing nervously at the spikes.

"You can do this, Leo," She encourages and he smiles at her nervously.

"I didn't listen in on your training."

"Wait, what?!"

Leo glances around instead of answering, whispering to himself, "You're a champion." He swipes his sword and a circle appears, but nothing else. He groans and Amy groans, walking over to him.

"Like this," She stands behind him and guides his hands, holding them over hers. Leo's face turns red as he smiles happily at her touch. She moves his hands along with the sword and a portal appears. Leo and Amy glance at each other, both of them realizing their position. Amy quickly lets go of him, whistling as she looks away. She was only trying to help him, and it worked. So why was she so nervous?

"I did it! Oh, I really am the best at-" Raph grabs everyone and jumps through the portal. He struggles to get through due to his size, but manages at the last second. The portal opens up to another part of the maze and they fall from it, landing in front of the statue. Leo looks around as he recognizes where they are.

"We're at the center of the maze," He takes the pizza box. "We got the pizza!" The others cheer at their victory. "I am the champion!"

The statue's head suddenly moves and Leo's eyes widen.

"Cheaters!" He cringes as the voice booms, "Who dares to try and eat my pizza without following the strict customer agreement?"

"That can't be good," Donnie looks up at the statue as vines appear. Mikey and Donnie scream, scrambling away from it.

"You can't escape me," The vines attack them all. Mikey uses his whip to chop off the ends. "I am the assistant manager of this maze! And the maze does what I want!" Mikey is thrusted in the air by a pillar from the ground. "And in corporate agreement!"

Donnie runs as he turns a corner, trying to escape the vines. He yelps as he turns around, only for the pathway in front of him to turn into a dead end. "Oh no," He says as he realizes he's trapped. A bunch of vines surround him.

Leo cuts off vines left and right, but one of them grabs his leg. Amy's weapon turns into a boomerang with blades at the ends and she throws it, cutting off several of them. She jumps back a few feet and spins on the floor, emitting electricity from her feet. She slices some vines straight off with the bolts. Suddenly, the vines surround her and she gets tangled up in them, muffling her protests as they cover her mouth. The same thing happens to Raph.

"Uh oh," They're all brought forth to the statue as there's an explosion.

"One, you cut up my maze, you cheated! Now you will all pay!" A minotaur mutant with fluffy blue hair declares, fire appearing on her hand and behind her. The fire turns into a hand and Leo realizes he had to do something. All of this was his idea, after all.

"Wait!" The fire hand stops as everyone looks at Leo. "I'm the one who cheated. I created the portal to save my brothers and my lady! Punish me, their champion."

"Yes, punish him!" His brothers exclaim, Leo glaring at them.

"You all tried to cheat out of my world's greatest za!" She exclaims angrily.

"How can you call the world's greatest?" Leo struggles in the vines. "How do you know we haven't had better?"

"What do you mean, better?" She asks, diminishing the fire. "You're not talking about Famous Minotaur Pizza on 19th, are you?"

Leo glances away. Maybe if they tricked her into giving them the pizza, she'd let them go. "Ohhh, man. You talking about FMP on 19th? Oh ho, I love that place." The vines tighten around him before they let the group go.

"That garbage that's called pizza?" She takes the pizza box, descending down to them. "Wait until you try mine!" She opens up the box and they look in awe before the slices are shoved into their mouths. They swallow them up, humming happily, even Amy.

"Pizza good."

The minotaur manager looks on in approval. "Best you've ever had?"

"Really appreciate you letting us go, it was the right thing to do," Donnie comments.

"Who's your champion now, guys?" Leo brags, everyone else glaring at him that he risked their lives for that. "They'll come around. First, where do we go to get our picture taken for the wall of champions? Cause I wanna make sure they capture my good side." The manager slams down the pizza box.

"Wrong wall." Suddenly everything is black as there's a flash.

They got their picture, alright...on the cheater's wall.

* * *

"I can't believe I got my picture!" Leo exclaims happily at the alley where they found the mutant pizza place.

"Yeah, on the cheater's wall," Donnie points out.

"Still a picture!"

Amy rolls her eyes as she's getting her bike ready. Donnie, Mikey, and Raph glance at Leo. They were silently telling him that he needed to apologize for risking Amy's life for that and for being all cocky and for not paying attention to her training...there was a whole list they could come up with on the spot. Raph pushes Leo forward and he bumps into Amy.

"Sorry," He smiles sheepishly, rubbing his neck as she doesn't look amused. "My lady...I'm-I'm sorry. I know you're mad at me for not telling you about the picture. I was...just trying to prove myself. How about I deliver your packages for a month, no, two?!"

Amy looks at him silently and sighs. "No need. Leo, that's not why I was mad at you."

"Huh?" He looks confused as he tries to read her face. "Then why were you mad?"

"I was mad because I was wondering why you felt like you needed to prove yourself when you're already great. No picture would change that...at least, not for me."

Their mouths drop as she puts on her helmet, sitting on her seat. "I gotta go, I'm late. See you guys later." She waves at them with a small smile and takes off, the turtles wondering what just happened. Leo felt his face heating up as he remembers those words. She...had a point. He could feel a smile forming as he stares after her. Her bike emits electricity as it shocks her, causing her and her bike to jump in the air slightly.

God, he loved her!


	12. Bug Busters

**Angel: No, I won't do something using lyrics, Raven perez. Lyrics aren't allowed in fanfics, so that's just asking for me to get in trouble. Sorry this is late, this episode took later than usual to be uploaded than it would on a Sunday. Plus, by the time it was uploaded, I was busy with doing the dishes. Since this is another special like Mystic Mayhem, it took longer to do. By the time I finished, it was already early in the morning (like, 1 in the morning), and I was tired, so I waited until this morning.**

 **Also, I've changed the order (which is hopefully permanent), so that people won't get confused. See you guys in December with the next episode, Al is Back!**

The Turtle Tank is being driven on the street, with Amy following next to it. She's wearing her helmet over her face and she is wearing a pink suit with a bug logo that's crossed off. The turtles are wearing the same suits as her, but in their respective colors.

"Donnie, I need an update," Mikey calls out as he's driving.

"Okay, one more time. Baron Draxum created ooze and put it in carrier bugs that bite people and turn 'em into mutants. And for some reason, it's up to us to stop the whole situation," Donnie states, Raph and Leo grinning.

"I dunno, because we set them free?" Amy asks from their communicator. It's located in front of Mikey.

"Shh!" Donnie shushes her and she rolls her eyes.

"No, I need an update for my phone," Mikey corrects.

"Focus!" Raph tells him. "The new hotel is full of Oozesquitoes. We're suited up, so let's get down to business!"

They arrive at the hotel to find people running away screaming. Amy tilts her bike to a stop and lifts off her helmet. Her hair flows nicely in a low ponytail, which is tied loosely with a white ribbon. Her axe is held by a sheath which rests on her back. The Turtle Tank parks in front of the entrance. They jump inside, taking on poses as Raph holds a bug zapper in his hands. Oozesquitoes are everywhere, but the place is nearly empty. Raph points his zapper at him.

"Okay bugs, it's just you and us," Raph says, but someone pops out from the front desk.

"And me!" He holds up a hand, as he's the bellhop of the hotel. "I'm here too!"

They all blink at him, wondering why he was still there when everyone else evacuated. Leo steps over to him, along with Amy.

"Do not fear, sir. We are unlicensed amateurs, and we have this situation mildly under control."

"Emphasis on amateur," Amy gestures to herself.

"Ugh, your skin's all green!" He exclaims in disgust.

"Relax, sir, it's a perfectly normal side effect of all the chemicals we use," Leo explains, as they rehearsed to say that in case someone suspects their looks. "Isn't that right, my lady?" He glances at Amy, who pulls out her axe.

"That's right, and they are highly dangerous, so if you could just stay right here." She follows after Leo, leaving the bellhop confused as he's never heard of any chemicals that turn peoples' skin green. And not only that, but Amy was still a human...but he waved it off.

"Alright, remember the plan," Raph orders as he's standing in front of them. "We trap and smash," He punches a fist. "Zap, smash. Bash, smash!"

"Alright, we get it," Amy snaps in slight annoyance. When he turns around, he knocks a vase off a table.

"Ah, no!" The bellhop panics, jumping and catching it with his hands. "No, no! No! Don't break anything! The boss'll have my hide!" Two oozesquitoes fly near him and he screams, running away from them.

"I say we revise Raph's plan to make sure this guy doesn't get mutated," Leo jerks a thumb at the bellhop, who's trying to fend off the oozesquitoes.

"Stick to the plan," Raph warns him. "If we capture the oozesquitoes, nobody gets mutated. Alright? Mikey, you're up."

"Roger, Skipper!" Mikey salutes at him. "Honey-based distraction released!" He releases some honey onto him from his shell. "I'm so sweet, baby!" He strikes a pose as the words 'mmm, mmm, tasty!' appear above him. "Come get me!" He shakes his butt as he attracts some of the bugs over to him. The bellhop sees Mikey making a mess.

"No, no, no!" He catches a lamp that was about to fall. If anything breaks, it'll be his fault and he might get fired! "Hey, be careful!" He catches another vase, falling onto the ground. He stands up, glaring at them. "No no, gentle." He sees Raph swinging his zapper around, tiptoeing to a statue, which has an oozesquito on top of it. "No, no!"

"Zappin' like a-" The bellhop covers the statue from Raph and gets zapped instead, falling onto the ground.

"Not me, the bugs!"

"Get behind me," Leo stands in front of the bellhop, holding something that spews gas. "My trusty catanoxious gas will save you!" The bellhop holds his breath.

"Leo, you're wasting it! We need that for the bugs!" Raph exclaims at him.

"I'm protecting this guy!" Leo retorts back and they start fighting.

"Hey, hey!" Amy pushes them apart, snatching the nozzle from Leo and turning it off. "You, I'll help," she points to Leo. "You," She points to Raph, "Take a hint and realize that protecting someone from getting mutated is a priority and if we don't keep an eye on him, IT. WILL. HAPPEN!" She towers over Raph as her head gets bigger anime style. Raph shrinks slightly in fear.

Donnie eyes a bug flying around and keeps watch over it. "Okay, bugs, check in time is now a clock," He throws a purple sphere, which traps the bug. "Yesssss!" Donnie pumps a fist and gets the sphere, laughing. A camera is watching him from behind, which he doesn't notice. The bug tries to escape, which breaks the sphere and releases it.

"Cowabunga!" Mikey leaps towards Donnie and crashes into him, activating something from Donnie's suit. The same sphere traps them both inside and they move around like a pinball. They fly towards the other two, trapping them inside as well. Amy's axe turns into a bow and arrow. She grabs an arrow and prepares to trap an oozesquito...until the sphere trap bounces towards her and she's trapped as well. They're all covered in honey due to Mikey.

"Plan is really coming in together, Raph," Leo states sarcastically. "No more hunting next plan."

The bellhop sighs in relief that nothing is broken. He didn't care if the place was a mess, that could be dealt with easy. He places down the vase and starts dusting it. An oozesquito flies towards him from behind and bites him in the neck.

"Oh! Oh, that's odd," He groans as he mutates into a bull. The camera from before is getting all this footage.

"Hm, so that's how it happens," A woman says in interest. "Oh, his love of beef jerky was his downfall."

The bull goes crazy, running around and knocking down some antiques. He then runs out of the hotel, with the oozesquitoes escaping. A chandelier breaks into pieces as it lands on the rugs. Amy sighs at the damages that she would possibly have to pay for.

"Gah, no! Leo, Mellie, if you'd just listen to me, we would've gotten the bugs and be hosing down Mikey right now," He looks at the honey.

"We did listen to you, Raph, and that persnickety guy was ironically mutated into a clumsy bull," Leo points out.

"Let's get one thing straight. Raph, you're the leader of this team. And I'm your friend," Amy glances at the others. "So just because you're a few months older than me _doesn't mean you can control me like I'm some puppet_!" She yells in frustration right into his ear, the turtles cringing. "I do what I want, and I do it regardless. You'd think you'd learn that after all the time I spend with you. And guess what, Leo and I were right anyway. So take your attitude and shove it up your shell." Amy was usually a rational thinker like Leo, but she also tried to be fair since it's clear that besides Donnie, she's the most responsible of the five. Owning a business would do that. She didn't care if someone, she'd say Raph, disagreed with her.

"Sorry," Raph cringes at her, as it wasn't his intention to make her angry.

"Nice going, Raph, you made pink-a-boo mad," Leo glares at him. Anyone who disrespected his lady is bound to get into trouble with him.

"Hey, how about we continue this classic Raph-Amy-Leo argument outside the trap?" Donnie asks, as he wanted his personal space.

Suddenly, a spark appears and all the turtles are shocked along with Amy. Donnie enlarges the sphere trap, setting them free. Then it shrinks into a star, falling onto the ground. They all stretch their legs, Mikey holding the vase.

"Look at this mess. We gotta do the right thing, guys...and get out of here and have Amy pay like she always does," Mikey throws away the vase.

"You couldn't have waited until after we were free?" Donnie asks as Amy pulls out her wallet.

"Donnie, we all know that I have no self-control over them unless I'm dancing. Sorry if I'd get tired doing that 24/7," Amy shrugs, pulling out some dollar bills. Donnie thinks to himself as he needed to find a way to get that under control...

The elevator opens and they whip around. A purple-skinned lady is standing there. She's wearing a dark purple jacket with light purple cuffs, with some green poof on the collar, a brooch on her chest, and a light purple skirt. Her hair is silver and shaped like a bud, and she wears clear lenses on her face.

"Uh oh."

"Omigosh. Humans. Be cool."

"Let's just hear what she has to say so I can pay and get out of here," Amy whispers to them.

The employees surround her and roll out the red carpet. It rolls all the way to the entrance and they stare, never seeing an entrance like this one from any human. They wonder just who she is. She's escorted to them and jumps onto her feet.

"Well, you've turned my hotel into quite the fizzy winkle!" She smiles slightly, chuckling.

"Fizzy winkle?" Amy asks in disbelief.

"You sure that was us?" Raph fibs as the others smile nervously. "I tell you what, we totally human exterminators will have our friend pay the usual fee and-"

"Don't fret," She interrupts, shaking her head. "My people will sort out this cracker-doo!" She claps and some workers come out of nowhere, even from an air vent as they start to clean up the damages.

"Well, since you have this under control, we'll be heading back to our human office like humans do," Raph smiles, as this all worked out.

"No need for flim flam. You're amongst your own kind," She gestures to herself, Amy glancing at her brooch. She narrows her eyes at it as she finds all this to be very suspicious. No one acts this nice about damages to a business. The lady claps again and the human workers press a button from their chest, revealing themselves to be mutants.

"Whoa!" Mikey exclaims as they also press a button, taking off their suits. "Mutants can work here?"

"Ugh, this many in one room?" Amy looks in horror. "Dealing with four is enough..."

"Mutant? What strange words you use. We prefer to call ourselves yokai. Come, I'll give you the grand tour. Your human friend can come along too, everyone is welcome!" She waves them forward, three of the turtles smiling at her hospitality. Leo and Amy glance at each other, feeling that something was weird here.

"Okay," Leo calls out as his brothers start walking. "Anyone else think we shouldn't follow a stranger we just met into who knows what now?"

"Can't believe I'm saying this, but he has a point. We don't even know her name!" Amy points out to Raph, who groans at them.

"She's a nice lady, guys. What's not to trust?" Raph replies, Amy scoffing at him as they walk forward without her.

"Who has mutants work in a hotel?" She mutters to herself as she catches up to them. They get into the elevators and Amy looks around at all the brass.

"Yokai, number five, please," The lady says to a pigeon dressed like a concierge.

"Yes Big Mama!" He chirps. "Welcome, gentle-turtles and lady, to the best hotel in town!" He releases some energy, changing the interior to green, with an eye looking down at them. Amy shivers uncomfortably and 'Big Mama' places her hands on her shoulders.

"Not particular to yokai, are you? Judging how you hang around our kind, you must have some compassion for them!" She looks at the turtles.

"Oh, us?" Mikey smiles, "That's because she likes us~"

"Like is a loosely used term I'd use," Amy crosses her arms, but they all knew she was only lying to look tough. After all, she does like them enough to tell them about bits of her personal life. "But other...yokai aren't worth my time."

"Oh, you'll change your tune when you've seen the place!" Big Mama chirps and Amy backs away slightly. This lady was too positive for her taste, and she felt...something when Big Mama touched her. It was like she was setting her up for something, whatever it is. And not just because of all the mutants. Something bigger is involved.

The concierge pulls a lever and the doors open at their floor.

"Whoa..."

"Whoa."

"Awesome!"

It's a casino filled with mutants, and they're all acting like as if they're regular human customers. "Ugh," Amy deadpans when she looks around.

"Draxum created everyone in here?" Raph wonders, questioning just how many mutants he's been the cause of...

"Draxum? Whatever is a Draxum?" She turns to look at them.

"I'm sorry, you've never heard of Baron Draxum? Tall, ugly dude with talking gargolyes for shoulder pads?" Leo raises an eyebrow. Oozesquitoes were the only way to turn all these people into mutants, and with her high status, it's a little weird that she wouldn't know him. "Likes to make mutants in his spare time? None of that rings a bell?"

"Hmm," She thinks as she places a finger on her cheek. "Sounds fascinating. No, we yokai have existed for thousands of eons. Most live in the Hidden City, but my hotel gives them a chance to kick up their flippers and stretch out their holidoes." She snaps her finger and a door dissects to reveal a room that's filled with mutants also, but has spheres overlooking over other areas.

"This place is amazing!" Mikey exclaims, "What is it?"

"Our sporting lounge, where you can take in the ferocious fights at the Battle Nexus," She explains as they look around.

"Hm," Amy hums slightly, as it was a little nice that mutants could live regular lives like her...well, not as regular as her life was. Maybe there was hope for them after all. But she still doesn't like 'em.

"Sounds scary," Mikey comments as mutants are in battle somewhere.

"Heavens no," Big Mama turns around to them. "Unless you're put off by blood-curdling battles where warriors are ripped limb from liberty limb." She giggles at her exaggeration, Amy's eyes wide. "Oh no, dearie, I would never put you through that trouble. Us ladies have to keep ourselves clean and beautiful!"

"Guys, remind me not to ask anymore questions," Mikey whispers to them. As they're exploring, Huginn and Muninn see them, as they were watching the battles too. They're the ones that hang off Baron Draxum's shoulders.

"Do those turtles and that girl look familiar to you?" Huginn asks, looking at the group.

"I think they do, but I can't be sure," Muninn shrugs cluelessly.

"Well, that's what familiar means," Huginn reminds him, "I think they're the ones who exploded the boss' lab and let all these oozesquitoes loose."

"Oh yeah! I thought I just knew 'em from spin class!" Muninn replies, his partner facepalming and shaking his head.

* * *

Soon, the five are in Big Mama's office, which has a view of some buildings of New York. Amy looks around in awe at the decorations and glamour, as her office isn't nearly this nice.

"So, this Draxum's 'oozysquitoes' are causing quite the tissle tassle." She looks at photos of the mutant silverfish, Hypno, Meat Sweats, Warren Stone, Todd Capybara, a mutant cockroach, Stewart, Clem, and Repo Mantis. "Creating all these new...'mutants.' Oh, so troubling, gives us yokai a bad name." The images disappear as she turns around. "I prefer a low profile. Excuse me while I slip into something a little more comfortable."

She presses her brooch, and a purple tornado surrounds her.

"Uh oh."

"Oh no."

"Omigosh!"

She turns into a large mutant spider, with seafoam green hair, six eyes, and a large body, shocking the others.

"Mutant arachnid!"

"Ladybug!"

"Oh, we knew it!" Leo pumps his fist, wrapping an arm around Amy's shoulder. "Not that specifically, but there had to be something!"

"We told you so," Amy leans her head to look at the others. She then looks at Leo's arm and slaps it off.

"I see my true form shocks you," She places an arm to her forehead.

"You would hurt a nice spider lady's feelings, wouldn't you, guys?" Raph glares at Leo and Amy.

"Boo!" Mikey calls out to them and Amy looks at them in annoyance, Leo narrowing his eyes.

"You know, come to think of it," Big Mama states while Leo is crossing his arms, pouting. "Perhaps my webs could be of use in catching the bugs. I have no means to slot them around them, but surely a genius!" She leans in towards Donnie. "Just like you could create a device to capture the bugs."

"Okay, I know what you're doing," Donnie points at her as he comes closer. "You're just trying to flatter me...with the truth! And I love it!"

"Well then," She leans back in her chair, "Allow me." She throws a bucket at Donnie, which hits his head before he catches it. He looks up as she spits her webs at him. He's knocked against the wall, covered in the sticky substance.

"As fascinating as it is," He tries not to throw up, "Hideous...oh, I hate it," He falls onto the ground and the others give a sound of disgust. Raph glances at Big Mama, who's wiping her mouth with a napkin. Amy turns to glare at her while she attends to Donnie to see if he's okay. She had just grossed him out for the sake of a demonstration.

"Once you catch those squitoes, bring them to me and I'll safely turn them to the Hidden City."

"You," Raph points at her. "Got yourself a deal." He chuckles as he walks away, Amy and Leo's eye twitching.

"Raph," Leo and Amy lean in towards him. "What are we getting ourselves into? In case you haven't noticed, these mystic types have a nasty habit of trying to kill us!"

"Yeah, I don't trust this 'Big Mama' acting all nice over here," Amy jerks a thumb to the desk. "There's something about her that turns me off."

"You're both being crazy," Raph dismisses their suspicious. "She's helping us catch the oozesquitoes! Don't look a gift spider in the mouth."

"Never look in the...mouth," Donnie shudders in horror.

* * *

The very next morning, they drive down the street. "I looked it up, bitey bugs from phylum Ahumada are attracted to carbon dioxide," Donnie states as Amy is driving next to the vehicle.

"Leo! Mellie! Let it loose!" Raph calls out as Leo is strapped to a tank, with Amy having a tank attached to her bike. They both let out a sigh that they're doing this and Leo releases the gas. Amy presses a button from her bike and lets some out.

"Fire up the bug slapper." Donnie is running onto the rooftops, seeing a lone bug flying in the air.

"Genius powers, go!" He jumps down and presses a button from a briefcase. He throws it and it turns into a bike, with Big Mama's webs stored inside. He flies near the gas and pulls down his goggles, chuckling. He sees the bug in his sights and shoots the webs from the front. The bug flies near Amy and she moves to the left. Donnie flies above her and continues firing. He turns a corner and continues shooting the webs. He shoots enough times to make a web. "What? No no!" He turns around and continues his pursuit. "Eat silk, bug-eyes!" He captures the oozesquito. "Good-eye Donnie shoots and touchdown! Or insert sports reference."

"I think I'll go with the latter," Amy comments, Huginn and Muninn watching them from a tower.

"Woo, Draxum ain't gonna like that," Muninn replies.

"Dibs on not telling him," The two say in unison. "No, you tell him! Jinx, you owe me a corndog. You tell him, no takebacks! Fine, we'll tell him together." They both leave to the Hidden City.

Amy has her eyes on a bug and she pulls out her bow, with her arrow having a device attached to the tip. She closes an eye as she pulls backwards, remaining focused on it. She lets go and the arrow pierces through the bug. When it lands against a pole, the arrow traps the bug into a cocoon of Big Mama's silk web. The bug then disappears and reappears into the jar the turtles have inside the Tank.

"Nice one getting that oozesquito, Amy!" Donnie calls out. He then fires and the sticky substance lands on Leo's forehead, to his annoyance.

"Got another!"

Some of it lands on a fruit stand. "Oops, that is a cantaloupe."

Then he somehow gets a basketball player. "That's a pro basketball player, sorry sir, my mistake."

"Yeah!" Mikey takes a selfie with the player and Amy sighs, firing another arrow which cuts through all the silk, setting him free.

"Boo to the yah!" Donnie cheers as they have the jar full of them. "Got another oozesquito! You know, Big Mama was right to believe in me, because I am killing it!" He's flying in front of a web of the bugs.

"Nice work, team," Raph states as he looks at the jar. "We must've got a hundred of them, maybe twice the amount with the jar Mellie's got! Good thing we didn't do her and Leo's idea of being afraid of spiders." He laughs and Amy growls slightly.

"I don't know, I still don't trust her!" Leo calls out from outside, a newspaper landing on his face.

"Yeah, I wanna know exactly who and what I'm risking my life catching these things for," Amy replies as she rides past the Tank. Leo stares after her, knowing that she's taking this personally since Draxum killed her siblings. Seeing her remarks to Raph earlier, it was a little obvious. He just hoped that she would calm herself down before she does something she might regret.

Amy and the Tank stop in front of the hotel, Amy and Donnie each holding a jar of all the bugs they caught. They arrive at the elevator and when it opens, the concierge is now a large owl.

"So, other guy's day off?" Leo asks smugly, the owl grunting in annoyance. Nevertheless, he lets them inside. They arrive on the office floor, where they're immediately surrounded by mutants. Leo gives a nervous look, stepping closer to Amy as the two step inside. To the two, it felt a little too crowded and tense for their liking. The other turtles are humming a song as they don't suspect a thing. Amy touches her arm with Leo and gasps tensely. Leo places his hands on her waist to steady her. Amy looks up at him and he nods, silently telling her that he wouldn't let them harm her if they tried to. The brunette smiles weakly in relief, hugging the jar closer to her chest.

Leo tries to move as they both needed some space away from them, sighing in defeat when he realizes that's not gonna happen. The doors open, but this time, it's suspiciously darker than before. Donnie's device turns on along with the lights, scaring the turtle a little. The office is covered in webs. Donnie chuckles nervously as the others are staring at him, rubbing his neck.

"Greenie-boos!" They look up at Big Mama as she appears. "Give to Big Mama!"

"Oozesquitoes!" Raph holds up the two jars. "But we're almost out of web goo."

"Fantentious. And look at that marvelous device you've built me," She looks at Donnie's new invention.

"Oh, glad you like it. But, uh, actually, it's mine," Donnie turns the device back into the briefcase. "And why are your extra-large bellhops standing so close to us all of a sudden?" One of them takes the jars.

"Oh, they'll just be taking those bugs and your device," Big Mama answers as Raph gets a bad feeling. "My Battle Nexus thanks you," She scratches Donnie on the head.

"Wait a minute," Raph turns to her, "You run that barbaric Battle Nexus?!"

"Yes, Big Mama's kind of the bee's knees down in the Hidden City," She confirms, crawling up to her screens. "You see, the pickings have gotten a little slim lately," She gestures to one of her bellhops and Stewart fighting rather weakly. "And with these squitoes, I'll be creating wondrous warrior mutants who will be more exciting than ever!" She closes her eyes in delight. "And I'll be putting you boys to work in my Battle Nexus as well!"

"No way!" Mikey denies, "We are not fighting for you."

"Oh, pfft, heavens no. You'll be my bumbling arena clowns," She shows clowns being chased by warriors.

"No we won't!" Mikey points to her, as they still didn't wanna do it. He slips on a banana peel, crashing into the others.

"Ow!" Donnie cries out in pain. Big Mama laughs, as they were perfect.

"Okay Mellie, Leo," Raph opens his eyes. "I admit it, you two were right. You. Were. Right! Guys? Hey, where are they?"

"I'm sure wherever they are, they're trying to save us," Mikey states, but Leo's actually pressing the button as quickly as he can, holding onto Amy whose eyes are wide. Not because of the situation, but because of Leo's tight grip on her. The doors close and Leo cringes.

"Find the blue one and their friend!" Big Mama orders and her bellhops take off, the turtles wondering if their respective members just ditched them. The bellhops jump onto them, knocking them to the ground. They're held with mystic restraints.

"Hey," Donnie protests.

"Wait!" Big Mama calls out, stopping her minions. "I've got a better idea. Gus!"

"Gus?" Donnie asks in disbelief. "What kind of mutant is named Gus?"

He gets his answer as a door opens in front of them. A large mutant is standing behind a gate and steps out into the shadows. Gus unsheathes his claws and shows his sharp teeth.

"Uh oh."

"Oh no," Donnie and Mikey say in unison, fearing that he might eat them. Gus then reveals himself to show that he's a mutant dog. He howls at them.

"Huh?" Mikey murmurs in confusion.

"Yup, that's a Gus," Raph comments and Gus slides in front of them.

"Whoa, dudes, is this about me chewing all those slippers? I totally didn't do it!" He holds his hands in a pleading way.

"Nevermind the stupid slippers! Get their scent and find the missing turtle and female," Big Mama points at the turtles. While not having something of Amy's, she's been around them long enough to have her scent on them somewhere. Gus howls and turns to the turtles.

"On it, brah!" He sniffs them, the three giving nervous looks. He growls as he's got something and shows spikes on his back, howling again. He runs past them and exits to the elevator.

"Put this splendiferous ingenious contrapulation in my safe," She hands Donnie's device to a bellhop and the turtle looks irritated that she's stealing his invention.

"Huh, I'm flattered, but also betrayed," Donnie states.

"Take these charming young clowns to the Battle Nexus gateway," Big Mama orders and they grow nervous as the bellhops loom over them.

* * *

Leo is running down the hall with Amy in his arms. He slides underneath a moving glass piece from two bellhops who were moving it. "Where are we going?!" Amy calls out as he turns the corner.

"I gotta get you to safety," He looks down at her, as he didn't want her to get hurt or kidnapped like his brothers have.

"Safety...?" Amy murmurs, glancing up at him as he has a serious look on his face. "Leo, take us back, I wanna help."

Leo exits the hotel and puts her down. "Are you crazy?!"

"Hey, they're my friends! I don't wanna be in the sidelines! Please Leo...I can handle it," She pleads, staring at him in the eye. Leo thinks it over. It would be faster if he had help...and she could take care of herself.

"Okay," he takes a hold of her hand. "But you stay close to me and we work together."

"Of course," She nods in agreement.

"How are we gonna get back inside? If Big Mama's gotten to those guys in the lobby, we won't have a chance," He glances at the building. Amy joins his side and points up to the roof.

"Nowhere to go but up."

* * *

Leo clutches onto the vent, struggling to climb up. Amy is on his back piggyback style. She crawls off of him, sensing his struggle and holds onto the vent using her elbows. They're in the elevator shaft of the building.

"You go first," Leo pulls his mask so that he's blindfolded. "Don't worry. I won't look."

Amy looks at him in awe at his respect of her and smiles, climbing inside. She looks down at Leo. "Okay, I'll help you inside now."

Since Leo can't see, he's using his hand to feel around. His hand eventually lands on Amy's lips and her eyes widen.

"What am I touching...?" Leo murmurs as she glances at him. He touches her upper lip and she finds her face getting hotter. His hand felt so warm against her skin...

"L-Leo." She removes his hand and pulls his arms, bumping her forehead against his.

"Ow!" They both say in unison. "Sorry. No, don't apologize, it was my fault."

They both start laughing at how awkward they are all of a sudden and Amy pulls him inside.

"Oh man, I didn't touch anything I wasn't supposed to, didn't I?!" He panics and she grins to herself, trying not to laugh.

"No, you're okay," She assures him, but he did wonder what exactly he did touch...and why it was so soft...

"Let's go." Amy climbs forward inside the vent.

"Come out to the mutant hotel," Leo mocks as he climbs after Amy slowly. "Get together, have a few laughs. Oh, I knew we couldn't trust spider lady!" He hears a ding and Amy rolls around, peeking out so they see the inside of a room. A bellhop is holding the two jars of bugs. The bellhop presses into a painting, revealing the wall to be a large gold safe. Leo narrows his eyes. They see him put the code, which are all 1s. The safe opens up and the bellhop throws the device, along with the jars, inside. The door closes and he sweeps his hands, leaving the room. Leo grins before turning to Amy. Their eyes widen as their faces are close to each other. Amy clears her throat and Leo covers his eyes with his mask again. Amy flips around and continues crawling.

"I can't wait to save Raph, so I can rub it in his face!" Leo says in excitement and Amy giggles. She stops when she sees a maid doing laundry.

"Be a henchman, see the world. Worst job ever," the mutant walks away and yelps. Amy opens the door as they knocked out the maid, Leo falling onto the ground from the scent. Amy puts a gas mask over her face.

"First it's the mutants, now it's their clothes. Could I possibly get any lower?" She mutters in disbelief.

"Oh boy, dirty yokai laundry is not gonna be fun. Those guys are gonna owe us!" Leo wraps an arm around Amy's waist and they jump inside. They bump along the way, yelping before they land in the laundry chute. Leo lifts his head up as underwear is around his face.

"I'm just gonna tell myself this is a t-shirt," It snaps back onto his face and he yelps in disgust, Amy sighing at him.

* * *

The other turtles are being escorted to the entrance of the Battle Nexus.

"Oh, I can't believe we're gonna end up being rodeo clowns!" Donnie complains to his two brothers. He was supposed to do something great, and he ends up being downgraded.

"And you laughed at me for taking that class. Who's gonna be laughing when I'm minding up a storm?" Mikey retorts, Raph hitting him from behind. They come to a stop as they can hear cheering from the other side of a portal. "Omigosh."

"Here we are. Gateway to the Battle Nexus. Say goodbye to New York, turtles," The seal bellhop pushes them forward. A laundry chute stops in front of them, blocking their path.

"Alright now hold on. Laundry in the middle of the hallway?" The owl bellhop asks skeptically.

"Obviously a trap," The seal bellhop pushes Mikey out of the way. "I shall investigate." He removes all the clothes to reveal nothing. "Oh, it's empty. I guess we can let our guard down, then."

"Sounds right," his partner steps up to him. While they're distracted, a sword appears out of nowhere from the ceiling. The sword moves around and Leo growls in annoyance.

"Come on. Make a portal!"

"Leo, calm down...and just concentrate," Amy advises him as she's laying down in front of him. "Right there in the middle of the rug."

He takes a deep breath and manages to open the portal. "Yes!" He leans in and kisses Amy on the cheek triumphantly. "Step back, step back," Leo encourages as a foot is almost there. Amy places a hand to her cheek, wondering what just happened. But...it felt nice... "Yes! Now step into our trap, you-" The air vent shakes before it breaks, dropping the two through the portal.

"Cowabunga!" Mikey cheers as the others jump through, disappearing before the bellhops can go after them. They all scream before they land on one of the floors.

"You're welcome for saving you!" Leo tells them before he and Amy cut them free.

"If you two hadn't left us, we all could've saved ourselves together," Raph scolds.

"What?" Leo and Amy ask, irritated at his statement.

"Are you even hearing yourself?" Amy deadpans and they hear a howl, turning to the hallway. Gus leaps towards them. They all hug Raph since he's the largest and Mikey holds out a tennis ball.

"Hey buddy, sit." Gus skids to a stop.

"Whoa, what is that?" Mikey moves his hand to the left and Gus follows his movement, being a dog after all. "Oh man, I gotta get that thing and bring it back!" Mikey throws it and Gus pushes past all of them, chasing after the ball. Amy lets out a small sneeze.

"I'm sorry, who was that?" Leo gestures to where Gus disappeared.

"Gus was sent to eat you," Donnie explains bluntly.

"In that case, maybe it's time to blow this balloon factory," Leo presses the button to open the elevator, handing Amy a tissue. "Once we're safe at home, we can brag about how right we were, and in turn, how wrong you were. So glad to do it."

"I got it!" Raph slams his hand against the wall at Leo's cheeky smile. "But we're not going without Donnie's bug slapper and the oozesquitoes. We can't leave them in Queen 8 Leg's hands." Donnie and Mikey grudgingly follow, Amy wiping her nose as she stands next to Leo.

"Well, since we indubitably have no idea where-" Leo presses a button to get to the lobby.

"Spill the beans, Leo! Every time you say indubitably, I know you're up to something," Raph accuses, Amy rubbing a temple.

"Fine, everything's in Big Mama's office and we can risk our lives getting it back right now," Leo presses the button.

"And that's exactly what we're gonna do. Guys...stealth mode!" Raph punches his hands.

"Or...stealth mode," Leo whispers the term, Raph glaring at him. He places a hand on Amy's shoulder. "You gonna be okay? You need your allergy pills?"

Amy shakes her head. "I'm okay...wait, how'd you know it's pills?" She eyes him.

"I'm all about stealth," Leo grins at her. "You keep them around in your office, remember?"

"Right..." She murmurs, smiling slightly. The other turtles eye the two suspiciously, as there was something...different about them all of a sudden.

"What exactly happened with you two?" Mikey wonders and Amy leans against the wall, Leo crossing his arms.

"Nothing," Amy denies with a huff.

"None of your business," Leo replies smugly and the three glare.

They arrive in Big Mama's office and they peek inside, seeing no one. They sneak into the room and Donnie turns around, knocking a pitcher with his staff. He gasps sharply and catches it at the last second, sighing in relief. Raph shushes him and Leo glances around for the painting.

"There," Amy whispers, pointing at it. Leo slowly touches it and the safe reveals itself. He smiles smugly.

"This calls for the delicate touch of a genius," Donnie's staff turns into a saw as he proceeds to break in, loudly.

"I'll cover the sound for you!" Mikey calls out over the noise, knocking down a lamp. He gives Donnie a thumbs up and Amy facepalms.

"We should be through in a couple of hours!" Donnie shouts over the sawing.

"Or we could do this," Leo puts in the last 1 of the code.

"Yeah Donnie, that was the only way inside. Sure," Amy says sarcastically and he pouts.

"But my way was fun!"

The door opens and Leo gestures inside. They jump in.

"That's awesome!" Raph congratulates while Mikey stays behind on lookout.

A ball rolls to Mikey's feet: a tennis ball. "Hey, my ball."

"Wait, Mikey," Amy calls out as they look from inside. "Did you just say your-"

A growl interrupts her and they see Gus at the elevator.

"Don't start a game of fetch you can't finish," he narrows his eyes at them.

"Oh no, no, no, no, no, dears. This simply will not do," Big Mama says from her chair. She's back in her human form as she turns her chair to them. "If there's one rule Big Mama has-"

"Is it forgive and forget?" Leo asks hopefully.

"Is it don't chew on the guest slippers?" Raph questions in confusion.

"Is it no using Raph's toothbrush?" Mikey brushes his teeth with Raph's toothbrush.

"Is it home's law?" Donnie asks mysteriously.

"...What?" Amy questions with utter confusion.

"No!" She turns back into her spider form. She spits three webs, trapping all the turtles into cocoons. "My rule is no stealing from Big Mama!" She grabs Amy and pushes her against the wall, holding onto her right shoulder.

"Mellie!"

"No!"

"You let her go!" Leo demands as Amy is struggling, trying to pull the arm off her shoulder.

"Get off of me!" Amy shouts and Big Mama smiles.

"Oh dearie, I shall put an end to your suffering," She cups Amy's cheek and she moves away from her.

A shadow appears at the window, making a circle into the glass before barging in: Baron Draxum. "And my rule is no stealing from me!"

"Mr. Sheep to the rescue!" Mikey cheers at his appearance.

"And that's a good thing? He tried to destroy us last time we saw him," Donnie reminds his brother.

"Scrambelent to see you again, Baron Draxum," Big Mama looks away from Amy. "But you really must learn to use the dimply door," She points to her office door.

"You must learn to use real words," he retorts back.

"Oh, they know each other," Leo looks at Raph. "If only one of us had seen that coming, or even two of us," he rolls his eyes.

"You are a poor winner, Leo," Raph remarks.

"Those are my property," Baron points to the jar of oozesquitoes. "Fetch them, my pets!" Huginn and Muninn leap down from his shoulders, laughing. They're suddenly tackled by Gus, screaming as he attacks them.

"I need these bumpily bugs for all those tasty victims. They will mutate for my Battle Nexus."

"Those are meant for something much greater than your silly Battle Nexus. They will eliminate the human threat forever. I will have every last one on the surface, starting with you," Baron Draxum points to Amy, who's trying to move her hand to her weapon.

"No! She will be my first warrior!" Big Mama reaches out to open one of the jars, but Baron Draxum turns his arms into drills, attacking the spider mutant. She drops Amy in the process and she falls onto the ground, hyperventilating. She...she could've been a mutant...she growls at the fact that Draxum wanted to do that to her. Hadn't she already been through enough? The brunette takes a deep breath, making one of her hands into a fist. She can't get angry...not here. Not now. No matter how much she wanted to...

Big Mama blocks the attack and kicks Baron's leg, throwing him to her face. He leaps forward and attempts another attack, but big Mama kicks him to her desk. He shoots purple vines and the turtles roll out of the way as Big Mama maneuvers past them. She jumps up higher and spins, firing her webs at him. He captures her web with his hand and pulls her forward so he can punch her. The turtles are further rolled away.

"What is this, another one of your success-proof plans?" Leo wonders.

"Yes! I mean no, no!" Raph whispers before turning to the brunette. "Psst! Mellie, you okay?"

Amy looks towards them and nods. "Use your weapon to free us!"

She sneaks over to them and holds up her axe, slicing off the cocoon in one slice. Gus follows the ball inside the safe.

"To the roof," Baron orders his minions. "Time for this yokai to take over the surface." The two take the jars and use the vines to advance to the roof.

"Leo, portal to the roof, now!" Raph orders urgently.

"There you go," Leo rolls his eyes, "Telling me what to do again. Well, actually, that's a plan I can get behind."

"Stop whining and just do it," Amy tells him and he circles around all of them, making a portal.

"Yes!" The two turtles and Amy cheer.

"Can we rename today Leo and pink-a-boo day?" Raph pushes Leo and Amy through, but the portal immediately closes, leaving Mikey and Donnie behind.

"What are we supposed to do?" Mikey asks before Big Mama reveals herself. "Oh, right."

"This'll teach you to compliment my work, and give me my first positive reinforcement from a parent-agent adult ever!" Donnie declares angrily, throwing up his device. He jumps onto it, with Mikey behind him.

"Cowabunga!"

Draxum has made it to the roof, where he looks over the city...his city. Huginn and Muninn fly over to him, but Leo, Amy, and Raph crash into them.

"Leon's got it!" Leo calls out as he holds the jar, Amy holding the other one. They're standing on top of Raph. Draxum flings vines at them and they scramble out of the way. Leo tosses his jar to Raph, Amy doing the same with hers. They play keep away with the two jars before Leo is flung into the air.

"Leo! Toss me the oozesquitoes!"

Leo drops the jars and Raph lunges forward, catching them. Leo flies to the edge of the roof, but a vine catches him by the mask, holding him in the air and threatening to drop him onto the street.

"I may have created you, but I will not hesitate to destroy you," Draxum threatens and Amy gasps at the revelation.

"What...?"

Leo slowly turns around. "Uh, who created what now?"

"Let my brother go," Raph threatens, Leo holding up a finger.

"Not literally!"

"Put. Him. Down," Amy growls, clenching a fist.

"Oh, brotherly loyalty and love between you and a human," Baron mocks and Amy stutters, blushing.

"I don't love him!" She denies immediately.

"But my bugs are important to you as well. Which one will you choose?" He turns back to the duo.

"Give him the bugs, just give him the bugs!" Leo thrashes around, trying to get free.

"I'm not giving him the bugs. These villains are all talk. He ain't gonna-" Baron drops Leo. "NO!"

"Leonardo!" Amy screams in horror.

"With my last breath, I told you so! My lady, I love you!" Leo calls out, but Amy doesn't register that last part as she jumps after him.

"Leoooo!" Raph tries to go after him, but the vine grabs him and snatches the bugs. He falls too, screaming. Leo looks up as he can feel the wind, squinting at Amy's eyes as she looks down at him. There's something in them, but he can barely see from his distance.

 _Are those...tears...?_

"Power-jump jitsu!" Raph's body turns red as a fist reaches out to Leo and Amy. Leo shouts in surprise, moving out of the way. Amy reaches out to him, but she can't get a grip on his hand. She gasps as they're nearing the pavement. This was it, she was gonna die. She squeezes her eyes shut. "Saving like a boss!" The fist turns into a body with Raph inside, landing in front of the hotel. He holds out his hands so that he catches Leo and Amy. The body disappears and they land on top of a car.

"Thanks buddy," Leo pats Raph on the plastron.

"What was that?" Amy murmurs in confusion.

"I have no idea what I just did, but anytime!"

"Hey, what happened to the bugs?" Leo wonders. They look up to see Baron Draxum releasing them.

"Go and mutate the humans!" And with that, he disappears to go back to the Hidden City.

"Man," Amy facepalms at their failure.

Big Mamma chases Donnie and Mikey around in her office. They fly out into the open where Baron had barged in, Big Mama capturing Mikey's leg with her web. Donnie is stuck and he looks at the control panel, seeing that the remaining webs are almost gone.

"Oh, only one web left." Better make it count."

"Let me go!" Mikey growls at the spider.

"No, Mikey, you let go," Donnie informs him.

"Ohhh," Mikey says in understanding. "Okie dokie." He does so and Donnie giggles, turning around so that he's facing Big Mama. He fires his last web at her, hitting her in the face. She crashes into her safe and the door closes.

Mikey screams as he falls, but Donnie saves him by flying underneath Mikey. He rubs Mikey's head in reassurance.

Leo, Raph, and Amy wait silently until Donnie and Mikey appear. "Everyone okay?"

"We're fine, but the oozesquitoes got away. Another failed mission," Raph crosses his arms.

"Not a total failure," Donnie points out, "We've got this to go get 'em now. Oh, I-I am, however, out of webs, so...uh, partial failure? Yaaaay."

Amy rolls her eyes and Leo points to his brother. "Raph, what was that crazy power-up? You saved our lives!"

"I dunno," Raph shrugs casually, "I just knew that if I didn't save your lives, I'd never hear the end of it from you two."

"And on a side note," Leo holds up a finger. "Draxum created us! He told me right before he threw me off the roof, so I don't think he's very attached."

"What?" Mikey looks up. "Does that mean we're teenage..."

"Mutant."

"Ninja."

"Sheep-men?" Raph asks in confusion and they all stare at him. Leo sighs as he takes his sword and notices Amy thinking to herself.

"What's on your mind, Amy?" Donnie wonders and she turns around to him.

"This may be a lost cause, but if Draxum created you," She points to them, "And killed off my siblings, I wonder if they're connected somehow...if this all happened around the same time, that is, I dunno." She stands up. And she's also wondering how Splinter fit into all of this if the turtles were created by Draxum. Amy sighs to herself. Even though her friends were created by a mutant...she couldn't hate them. They were too hard to hate. Hating them just felt...wrong. That's like saying she hates baking, which would never happen.

"Huh. That's a good point," Raph agrees with her. "Why kill off your brother and sister when he could've mutated them? And then he creates us? That's a 180 change."

"At least you kept your cool, Amy," Mikey says in sympathy.

"Yeah...only because I didn't have much of a choice," She reminds him, rubbing her shoulder. "Either way, I know that I have to be calm about this. I don't wanna do something I might regret...Lucia and Marco wouldn't have wanted that, anyway."

The turtles all smile softly at her, as they didn't need to worry about her going too far anymore. Raph takes off, with Donnie and Mikey flying away as Amy's motorcycle appears.

"Ames?"

"Hm?" She turns around to Leo.

"...Why were you crying?"

"Huh?" She murmurs in confusion as she wasn't expecting that.

"Earlier, when I got thrown off the roof...I saw tears from your eyes."

 _As Amy was falling towards him, tears were disappearing from her eyes._

She pauses, not knowing what to say or how he would react. She places a hand on her handlebar. "I...I was really scared. I thought you were gonna...gonna die."

Leo's eyes widen as his mask flies to the side. Amy could feel the wind in her hair as there's silence.

"You...actually shed tears...for me. Cried for me..." He steps forward and hugs her, surprising the brunette. "I...didn't think you'd cry... _for me_." It was the first time she actually cried for him...not his brothers, not April, and certainly not Splinter. She cried for his safety, despite the fact that he's a mutant.

Amy hugs him back, sniffling. "You're fine, right? You're not injured or anything?"

"Yes," He rubs her back to calm her down. She hums at his touch, finding him warm...she actually didn't want to let go this time...

"You guys coming or what?" Raph calls out and they turn to see him. "Oh, uh, I wasn't interrupting anything, was I?"

"...No," Leo and Amy say in unison, grinning to each other. Amy mounts her bike and Leo joins her. They both drive out into the open and Amy's bike wheels turn to the left, turning into flight wheels. She flies after Donnie, both her and Leo smiling as they both think to themselves.

 _I'll never leave you..._

* * *

Back in the Hidden City, Draxum is in his lair, and his lab has been repaired in the time that's passed. "My plan is coming to fruition. My bugs have hard work, turning humans into your kind."

"Oozesquitoes," Muninn corrects him.

"What?" He asks in confusion.

"Yeah, it's oozesquitoes. Uh, that-that's, uh, what those turtles and Amy were callin' em."

"It is so catchy," Huginn replies, smiling.

"I know. It just rolls off the tongue."

"Mullions of humans will be mutated," Draxum looks at someone in a pod. "If I don't get rid of the turtles and Amelia, they'll ruin everything. I must eliminate them."


	13. The Longest Fight

**Angel: Hi everyone! I _thought_ this was episode 16, but they keep changing the order on which episode is which. Now they say that this episode is the 13th one, even though that's Mrs. Cuddles, which they say is now 16. Not exactly sure what their problem is. First they keep changing the order, then the dates, and then plots...I just don't know what is what anymore. Honestly, I'm just gonna update Hypno! Part Deux! next and then I'll decide what to do with Bug Busters and Stuck on You. This trumps (pun intended) my whole plan for Leo and Amy and now I have to figure out what the heck I'm doing now. I could care less about which episode is which unless it's confirmed and not being changed all the time.**

 **Personally, I prefer consistency AND continuity! I still like the show, but you people at Nick need to figure out what you're doing before you tell us!**

Leo skateboards into the air, Donnie and Raph watching something on their phones near the skate ramp they have in the lair. Mikey has a feast all laid out, a chef's hat on his head. He presses his hands together.

"Okay. We got pizza rolls, pizza balls, pizza tots, pizza puffs, and duck a la orange..." He lifts the lid to reveal a whole pizza...with duck a la orange on it, of course. "Pizzaaaaaaaaaaa!"

"As if today could get any more perfect," Donnie smiles as a robotic claw is holding his tablet for him.

"Live from Tokyo," Donnie turns back to his tablet as he sees a wooden skate park. "The Extreme Skateboarding Finals!" Raph slides over to Donnie.

"Hey, it's starting, guys!" Raph calls out, Mikey hollering happily. Leo skates by them, confused that they're not watching him. The turtle looks on sadly at the empty spot near his brothers. As usual, Amy was working. He wished she didn't have such a busy schedule all the time so they could spend more time together. They are planning on watching their idol, Sydney Allen, skateboard live. If there's one thing they loved as much as pizza, it was skateboarding.

"Three hours of insane tricks, and the rumors are true!" A slim 16-year-old girl with long dark brown hair like Amy's stands over the ramp looking cool as ever. "Sydney Allen will attempt a 1440 on the Mega Ramp!" A 1440 was basically 4 360s.

"Is that even possible?" Donnie asks in shock, Mikey and Raph looking surprised that a human could even do that.

"No. Way!" Mikey exclaims slowly.

"She's gotta be a mutant," Raph comments.

"Hey guys," They look up to see Leo balancing on his skateboard at the top of the ramp. "I bet I could do a 1440."

Donnie sighs at his attitude. "I will forgo my usual 'No, don't, that's four rotations, that's crazy talk, Leo' and skip right ahead to 'cover the food'."

Raph and Mikey immediately cover all the food that Mikey prepared.

"For Sydney, but mostly my lady because I love her!" Leo pumps a fist, Donnie facepalming with a small groan. He was so glad that Amy had a busy schedule so that she doesn't have to endure this. "Hot soup!" Leo flips his skateboard as he jumps, skateboarding down the ramp. He speeds right past his brothers, making Mikey and Raph look up. Leo holds his skateboard while he's in the air, but missteps, causing him to lose his balance. Donnie isn't even looking at him. Leo regains his balance, laughing.

"Oh yeah!" He does a rotation in the air. "Cowabunga!" His skateboard drops and he screams, Raph and Mikey looking up at him again. Raph has some of the food in his mouth. Leo tumbles down the ramp as his skateboard flies around. He crosses his arms as he slides down the pipe, his two brothers laughing at him. Unfortunately for them, the next moment isn't so funny as Leo's skateboard flies into the conduit for the wifi.

"The wifi!" Raph exclaims, looking at Donnie's tablet as the connection isn't working. "Wifi. Skating. Raph watch, Donnie fix, Raph happy!" Raph points out to Donnie, who pushes him away. Inside, Raph is freaking out.

"I need pre-game stats, highlights, projections of future stats, we're missing the stats, people!" Donnie does the math in his head about how much time they're already missing.

"And we're gonna miss Sydney! And the 1440!" Mikey shouts as they're all panicking.

"Everybody cool it!" Raph stops them and they all freeze. "There's worse things in the world than..." He tears up, "Oh, who am I kidding, our lives are ruined!" He then remembers one last resort, which they rarely use, but it was probably their only shot. He removes one of his hands. "No, wait. I got a fix, but it ain't gonna be pretty."

* * *

They're all kneeling in front of Splinter as he's watching his commercials using the projector. They're trying to plead with him to let them use the TV, which was a rare thing. Splinter was always sitting in that chair and he usually wouldn't let them use it by themselves. Hence, the phones and tablet. "Dad, you gotta let us watch TV."

"We'll do anything!" Mikey tells him.

"Anything?" Splinter asks in interest as he pours himself a cup of tea. He looks away as he thinks to himself. They had to pull in the stops if they wanted him to move from his comfort zone. That chair and TV was his life. "That is more than something, and just shy of everything. Go on."

"Gourmet dinners?" Mikey offers, as he was a pretty good cook. "I'll throw in free desserts from Amy." Now that was a stretch, because Amy's definitely not lenient on that. Those come out of her own pay since she's her own boss.

"Nostril waxing," Donnie cringes at the thought, but they'd do, as they said, anything. Nostril waxing was probably the worst.

"Hey, Raph will even carry you around 24/7," Leo adds, gesturing to Raph as he has a teddy bear on his shoulders. It's meant to resemble Splinter.

Mikey reaches out to the remote, but Splinter smacks it away. "Ow!" He places his hand in his mouth.

"This is quite a generous offer, but I must refuse," He smiles slightly. "We are in the golden age of commercials! I would bring disgrace on my family if I missed even one," He switches the channel onto a woman in her kitchen. The turtles move out of the way to watch.

"You ever wanted ice cubes but found pouring water directly into the freezer isn't helpful?" She chuckles slightly as she pours water inside as a demonstration. "Then you need ice trays, trays for ice! The thrill of chill in every fill!"

"I wish my pink-a-boo was here," Leo sags sadly.

* * *

The brunette is at Smith's Sweets, taking some phone calls as she's closing for the day. She sighs as she finishes writing down a custom order for a birthday party coming up.

Someone peeks around the corner, grinning evilly. Amy gets another call and picks up the receiver without looking, putting it to her ear.

"Smith's Sweets, I'm currently taking calls for another 20 minutes. How can I help you?"

"You are the owner of the store, I'm presuming?"

"Yes," Amy leans against the counter as something already seemed off. "Who are you, exactly?"

"I'm Dr. Sopher," The male voice starts off. "Is your mother a Nadia Santiago?"

"Depends, why?" Amy raises an eyebrow as she wonders how he knows this information.

"Ah, so it is true. She does have capgras delusion...well, Miss Smith, I believe that we have found a cure for this disease."

Her mouth drops as she almost drops the phone, speechless. "W-What did you just say...?" She already knows that something is wrong, as she's seen multiple doctors and they've all said the same thing: there is no cure because of its rarity. And she's been all over New York.

"You heard me right, ma'am. We can administer an antidote, which will restore her memory. It's a simple procedure. All you need to do is come to New Zealand. But I'm afraid that you'll have to leave New York permanently."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Amy holds up a hand. "You say all of this out of the blue and just expect me to move to New Zealand?!"

"Well, if you want your mother to be cured, we need someone to sign off to approve the procedure and to monitor her health." She hears a garbage can fall and raises a skeptical eyebrow. That's coming from the alley right next to the building...

"Uh-huh..." She moves closer to the window...seeing a tuft of familiar hair standing right outside. She grabs something from a nearby cabinet. "Tell me, 'Dr. Sopher' are you sensitive to loud sounds?"

"Uh, why?"

She opens the window and presses the button on an air horn, scaring Brit Worley out of his mind. He drops the cellphone from his hand, Amy narrowing her eyes as he's stumbling around from the noise.

"I should've known you sounded too close," She shakes her head. "Give it up, you brat! The answer's no!" She slams down the window. "Unbelievable..."

She then sees a vehicle pass by and recognizes the white van. She saw that same van from when all that paper got stolen from her store.

"What?" Amy grabs her helmet and opens the back door, jumping onto her bike.

Amy chases after the van on the street, her hair flying as she speeds into a corner. The van turns sharply, knocking down some trash cans. Her eyes widen before she narrows them, turning the handlebar and revving up her bike. She uses her speed to jump over the plie and continue on with the chase. A window opens as a hand drops some oil onto the street.

"Really?" Amy deadpans as her bike forms the metal arms, maneuvering her over the puddle. She presses a button from the control panel in front of her. A gun appears from the left side, firing some pink lasers at the van, but the driver moves back and forth past them. Amy grunts as she grips the handlebar, annoyed with the progress, which is none.

"I take a risk by going after these fools and they're practically beating me?!" Amy exclaims in disbelief. "This better be worth it."

* * *

"Okay, ideas people," Donnie says urgently. "My eyes need extreme skateboarding asap."

"Maybe next time let's not put the wifi in a high traffic crash zone?" Leo suggests, Donnie glaring at him as it was technically his fault.

"Wifi! That's it," Raph puts his arms around his brothers. "I know what to do."

* * *

At a mall, Mikey flips the generator on and the lights turn on to reveal the food court. "Gilbert's Department Store after hours, an ideal per excellence, Raphael," Donnie comments as they look at his tablet. Raph laughs at his idea working for once.

"I was due."

"And, thanks to April's job here last year, we have the wifi password. One," Donnie inputs the one-number password and his tablet goes back to the finals.

"We'll be right back with more skateboarding. Brought to you by Ice Tray Grand Trays for ice."

"Yes!" The turtles cheer because they can watch it, and because they haven't missed much.

"I love you guys," Mikey tells them. "And watching this with all of you is my favorite brother bonding day of the year." Mikey hugs Donnie, Leo hugs him, and Raph hugs them all.

Later on, they're all separated, watching their idol on their own devices. So much for the bonding part. "Sydney, Sydney, Sydney!"

Raph hears a crash and looks up, turning to the others. "Did you guys hear that?"

"You mean that loud bang? No," Leo replies smugly, Raph glancing at Donnie as they make no indication that they're going to move from their spots.

"Is anyone gonna check it out?" He wonders.

"And miss skateboarding?" Donnie asks incredibly. "Sounds like a job for the guy who's always telling us he's our leader."

Raph glares at him as he brought this on himself. "Fine. I'll go," He stands up reluctantly, watching the competition while he's going up the escalator. He hoped the bang was a minor thing so he could go back to the match like they've been planning for a while.

"Sydney, Sydney, Sydney!" As soon as Raph steps off the escalator, he bumps into a mannequin and it drops onto the ground. He yelps and as he's trying to pick it up, there are three shadows in the distance. A slim shadow is watching the two intruders from around the corner, who turn out to be the Foot Clan.

"Did you hear that?" Foot Lieutenant asks Foot Brute, who's eating churros.

"You mean the loud thud of a mannequin falling over?" Foot Brute just shrugs. "No."

"Well, are you going to check it out?"

"Sounds like a job for the guy who's always telling the other guy he's boss, but it's clear the other guy should be the boss and that creates a lot of workplace tension!" Foot Brute shoves more churros in his mouth, the third shadow snickering.

"What?" The person asks in small laughter as this was even a conversation between two people are supposed to be an actual threat. Luckily the two don't hear the stranger. Foot Lieutenant stares at him and he gives up.

"Fine, I'll go," He starts walking, throwing away his snack. "Hellooooo?" He calls out as he's in a sports store. "Mr. Security Guard? I am a local school child locked in here after hours. Can you help me find my sensei-I mean, my mommy-san?" He looks down as the mannequin head is on the ground. He picks it up and throws it away, not noticing that Raph has been acting as a mannequin the whole time. He's wearing a Hawaiian shirt while holding a coconut drink. He lets out a breath he's been holding.

"That Foot Face guy," He stares after Foot Brute. "What's he doing here?"

"It's just a mannequin," Foot Brute explains to his partner after he re-joins him. "Who could've seen that coming? Oh right, me."

"Enough buffoonery. Get back to work," Foot Lieutenant holds up a torch, lighting it up with his head fire. He turns around to a store, which is locked, and starts to burn through the metal gate. Inside is a hand with a ruby ring on one of the fingers.

"Not good," Raph whispers and he hears a yell as Amy comes out of nowhere, kicking Foot Brute to the ground.

"Not you again!" Foot Lieutenant says in annoyance as he stops what he's doing. Amy narrows her eyes at them as she was the third shadow.

"Why don't you take your lame paper and go back to where you came from?" Amy waves him off, pulling out her weapon. "Don't make me say it twice," She extends her axe so that it's a spiked ball hanging from a chain.

"Cute," Foot Brute stands up, Raph watching her silently. Amy looks up, unfazed as he's clearly taller and more powerful. He slams down his fists, Amy swinging her weapon at him. He gets knocked onto the ground. Amy leaps away and spins on her back on the floor, projecting an electric shock at Foot Lieutenant.

"Don't call me cute," She looks mad at him. "I don't know what you're doing in a mall, but it ends now!"

"We'll see about that," Foot Lieutenant pulls out a thin tube and fires a dart. Amy backflips out of the way, running up a wall and leaping towards the two.

"Hot soup!" She kicks them with both her legs and they slide onto the floor.

"Aw yeah, Mellie's got this," Raph gives a thumbs up, as Amy could handle this herself and he can go back to the match no problem. The dart hits a wall, then the floor, angling itself as it pierces Amy in the back of her neck.

"Ow!" She rubs her neck, Foot Lieutenant grinning. Amy's body suddenly goes limp as she lies on the ground. "Tranq...dart." She groans as she's unable to move her limbs. The two continue what they're doing and Raph runs back to his brothers to inform them.

Mikey watches Sydney put on her helmet as she's about to start. "Guys!" Raph slides to a stop. "Those freaky flame guys are back, stealing jewelry! Mellie's down, they paralyzed her. Suit up, we gotta show how we think of that and for doing that to our friend."

"MY LADY?!" Leo exclaims in worry, standing up and dropping his phone on the table in shock. He looks between his phone and then at the escalator. Never in his life would he thought he has to choose between his pink-a-boo and his idol. "M-Maybe after we're done watching the finals? Cool, cool...my lady is fine, she's only paralyzed..."

"Come on, Leo! Crime never takes a break, so neither can we," Raph gestures to himself. "What will Mellie say if she finds out we bailed on her for skateboarding?"

"I'm not sure I follow, you mean like on commercials?" Donnie asks, Raph unamused. He facepalms at their laziness.

"Oh man, you guys are killin' me! What about our friend and her safety?" They glance at each other before they hear a crash and Raph stands up. Something could be happening to their friend and that would be their fault if he let that happen. "Look, this is serious, fellas. Okay?"

"Yeah," They all reply carelessly and Raph sighs in defeat. He had no other choice, not even Amy could get them to move.

"Fine!" They finally turn their attention to him. "We'll try to do all three. Fight bad guys, help Mellie, and watch skateboarding. Hey, we are real heroes," He places his hands on his hips, his brothers cheering in agreement.

"Let's get 'em!"

"Sydney's signing autographs for the judges before she goes!" They all turn back to their devices. The turtles use the escalator, not looking up. "If you're just tuning in, Sydney Allen is about to attempt the 1440 on the Mega Ramp!"

Raph makes sure to move past the mannequin this time. "It's the moment skate fans have been waiting their whole lives...after this break."

"My lady!" Leo runs over to Amy, whose face is planted onto the ground, bending down to her. "Are you okay?" He couldn't see her face since her hair is covering it. She lifts her head up slowly, turning around so that she's lying on her back.

"I can't move my arms or legs," She states simply as she tries to move her arm, but her hand quickly lands on her face. They hear a smack and she grunts. "Grr. I'm just peachy." Donnie helps her sit up and she stretches her right arm, hearing a pop. She rubs her left arm as Leo looks at her seriously.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Give me a few minutes and I'll get back to you," She replies as she tries to move her legs.

"What happened?" Mikey asks her.

"That loser duo managed to escape me when I saw their van move past my store," She starts off as she accidentally punches Donnie. "Heh. Sorry about that, muscle spasm." She moves her left leg to her chest. "Anyway, I remembered that the mall was my way, so I chased them down here. They hit me with this dart and now I can barely get up. They're trying to steal this ruby ring, I don't know what for. We have to stop them!" She places her right arm on her leg, waiting so that she can actually move.

Foot Lieutenant removes the hand, smiling as Foot Brute is keeping watch. "We've got it."

"Alright hot heads," They turn around to the turtles as Amy pops her right leg. "Hand over the ruby ring, and-"

"Sydney Allen is climbing up the Mega Ramp as I speak!" They go back to their devices, Amy looking baffled as she attempts to stand upright. The turtles cheer and Amy sits on her knees, clutching her ankle.

"What the heck are you doing?" She asks, but they ignore her AND the two Foot soldiers.

Foot Lieutenant clears his throat to interrupt their cheering, but they just listen to the crowd cheer. Amy twitches an eye. If she could get up, she'd slap them.

"Hey, be with ya in a sec, pal," Raph replies, holding up a finger.

"Since when was TV more important than an ongoing robbery?" Amy questions in disbelief, trying to balance herself on her legs. She falls back onto her knees as she still doesn't have enough strength to stand up.

"Hey, Sydney Allen is not gonna be on forever!" Donnie points at her.

"I don't care about Sydney Allen!" She snaps at them and they don't react. "Do something, I can't fight like this!" The ticked off brunette gestures to her legs. Foot Lieutenant glances at Foot Brute and Amy in confusion.

"Who?"

"But before she goes, let's learn a little bit about our judges."

The turtles groan at that.

"Boring!"

"Lame!"

"Okay-"

"Okay, look here forehead flambé, we can do this the easy way or the hard way," Leo interrupts Raph.

"Finally," Amy mutters bitterly, rubbing the back of her hand. Donnie pushes Leo out of the way.

"But we only have a quick minute till Sydney's back on, we are lobbying for the easy way," Donnie and Leo smirk at them.

"Super easy," Mikey replies, as they hoped it was a quick defeat. Raph pushes past them all.

"Less talk, more smashing." Foot Lieutenant punches Raph and he tumbles into a few mannequins, breaking them into parts. Leo looks at him and then glances at the two intruders.

"So that's a hard pass?" He asks knowingly. Raph rubs his head.

"Nice punch, Hoss. Too bad I snagged the ring!" He holds up the hand and the ring, everyone looking at him in shock, wondering how he got it.

"What?! You have no idea what you're dealing with," Foot Lieutenant threatens. "Give it back, now!" He throws five origami and they turn into the origami soldiers.

"These paper guys aga-?" Leo questions as one of them lands on his body. Donnie gets tackled by one and Raph stands up, only to have to fend off Foot Brute. Mikey turns around as the hand lands in his grasp. He runs away from an origami soldier. Amy is finally ready to fight, but she is pinned down by a soldier.

"Yo come on!" She groans in annoyance at her lack of movement. Amy kicks the soldier off of her and it dissolves into pieces like when they first met the Foot.

"Attention all bad guys," Mikey jumps, landing on the store counter. "Your villainy ends now!" He jumps off the counter and lands on a glass case, sliding off it. He leaps away from Foot Lieutenant and he jumps onto a display case. Mikey grabs a blue sweater, the hand in his mouth. He extends the sweater and pulls it over Foot Lieutenant's head.

"And now, Sydney's form-up run on the Mega Ramp." Mikey pulls out his phone.

"She's back on, guys!" Mikey calls out. "Just easy run, Sydney. Save your strength for the main event." He gets the sweater thrown on him due to the distraction and lands in an area of shirts.

"Sydney couldn't be more prime to slay that 1440," Leo tries to watch as he's ducking from the origami ninja's attack.

"Can I call a quick time-out? And I promise we'll go back to kicking your butts," Leo picks up the hand, looking at his phone. Amy is struggling with Foot Lieutenant before she looks at Leo.

"Quit looking at your phone and focus, wonder turtle!" She yells at him before she's knocked into a rack of blouses. She groans, slamming her fist against the floor at their failure. If she heard the name Sydney one more time...She sees a white blouse with three buttons lined up on the chest that has frilly shoulder sleeves. It also has a black pearl necklace attached to it. "Ooo, I wonder if they have a size 8?" She picks it up, looking at the price.

Leo gets hit and lands on the escalator before riding up it again. "And if you missed it, don't worry, cause we've got the replay coming your way." The origami soldier he was dealing with tackles him to the ground.

"Yes!" Donnie now has the hand as it's on top of his staff. He glances at his tablet while fighting a soldier.

"Sydney, Sydney, Sydney!" The origami soldier gets in his way and he tries to look past it, moving his head left and right. "Down in front! Come on, do I come to your life and block your view of your favorite show?"

Raph is tackled by Foot Brute, kicking him into the ceiling. "You don't mess with NYC! Not on our watch," he declares and they wrestle.

"Your intrusion has delayed our operation," Foot Brute tells him in annoyance.

"Nobody likes being interrupted in the middle of plans they had their hearts set on," Raph pushes him away. "Am I right? Ha! Good irony, Raph. Mic drop," He drops his phone and his eyes widen as he realizes what he did. His phone is now cracked. "Noooo! Sydney!" He bends down on his knees.

"What's a Sydney?" Foot Brute scratches his cheek and Raph glares at him. How dare he ask such a question!

"What's a Sydney?!" He rips off the arm of a mannequin, hitting Foot Brute with it in rage. He lands at a sale rack for onesies, one of which has the unicorn onesies Leo wanted so bad. An origami soldier slides to a stop near Raph and he looks to see Leo still watching the match on his phone. "What'd I miss?"

"Everything!" Leo informs him before frowning, "It's a commercial again." Raph groans at this.

"Guys," Amy walks up to them as she's defeated another soldier. "Seriously, put your phones down, you can watch Sydney later."

"Why bother when we can do both?" Leo grins, putting an arm around her as they both look at the phone. "Just wait and see how awesome she is."

"What's so great about her that you can't pay attention to a robbery?" Amy grunts, pushing him off her. Leo smirks at her. He knew that look, she was jealous. She didn't need to worry, though. Leo doesn't notice Sydney because Amy's the only girl he notices. Mikey listens to the ice tray commercial for the third time already that night. He puts a purple sweater over a soldier's head and it disappears. Foot Lieutenant goes to punch him and Mikey rolls away. He charges at the turtle again, but he blocks it with his arms. Foot Lieutenant grabs his phone and looks at the ad.

"My Sydney box, no!"

"A trade. Tell the purple one to give us back our prize, and then I'll return your precious phone," He glances at Donnie struggling with the soldier.

"Or we can do it my way," Mikey throws a hanger, knocking the phone out of the soldier's hand. Donnie's opponent is hit into pieces. "Yes! Guys, catch it!" The hanger knocks Leo's phone to the ground, breaking it. Mikey's phone also breaks.

"No!" Leo shouts.

"No!" Mikey slides to the phones. "Take me instead!"

The three turtles glance at Amy as she's dealing with Foot Lieutenant. "My lady, we need your phone!" Leo calls out.

"I'm a little busy," She grits her teeth in annoyance, "And I left it at the store." Even if she did have it, she wouldn't give it to them just so they can watch some girl skateboard.

They all groan before Mikey's eyes shine in hope. "Wait, Donnie's tablet! It's our last hope!"

"Phalange sandwich!" Donnie exclaims, not noticing his brothers looking at him. He jumps up in the air and they scream. He's about to attack Foot Lieutenant, who kicks him into Leo. Foot Brute grabs Raph from behind, while wearing a onesie. Mikey looks up as Foot Lieutenant leaps towards him. Raph throws Foot Brute off him while Foot Lieutenant is trying to grab the ring. Mikey kicks him over and Donnie looks up as the two are coming right towards him. He ducks, but his tablet suffers as the two crash into each other.

The turtles all scream, except for Leo as he's on the ground.

"What the-"

"No way!"

"Is there even anything left to fight for?"

"Yes!" Amy exclaims, throwing up her hands. "The prevention of a crime!"

Foot Lieutenant gasps, looking down at the ring. He laughs while the turtles are sagging.

"You think she got it on her first try?" Donnie asks his brothers, Amy covering her face with her hand, sighing.

"If anybody could." Foot Brute and Lieutenant sneak past them all with the ring.

"My bad, fellas," Raph closes his eyes. "I never should've thought we could watch Sydney, help Mellie, and stop them."

"You were right," Mikey opens his eyes. "We're heroes. Heroes don't wait until commercial. And we're sorry, Amy, for not helping you sooner."

"Aw guys," Amy puts a hand on Raph's shoulder. "Sydney meant a lot to you...I know how that feels." They all smile at her, engulfing her into a group hug. Amy doesn't protest as she's kinda getting used to hugs from them. "But remember this. If you ever try to pull off that stunt again, I will make you regret it until you die."

They nod slowly in fear.

"Wait, where'd they go?" Mikey looks around.

"Fools!" Foot Lieutenant holds up the hand on top of the escalator.

"They've got the ruby ring!" Leo exclaims. Amy takes Leo's hand as they stand up.

"Not for long," Amy narrows her eyes, looking down and noticing that she's holding Leo's hand. He smiles at her and she looks annoyed, taking her hand back.

"Aw nah," Raph starts off, angry, "They ruined our night, we're ruining theirs!" Raph looks at a skateboard from the sports store and takes it. "Hey Leo, another try at the 1440?" He throws the skateboard to his brother. Leo slowly grins.

"Cowabunga!" He skates down the escalator. "Ha, oh boy!" He hollers and the others watch with hearts in her eyes. Amy blinks and slaps herself to snap out of it. Leo reaches out and knocks down the two soldiers. "Nailed it!" He takes the ring, but not the hand. The others cheer as the two robbers and Leo fall down the floors. Leo lands safely on his skateboard while Foot Lieutenant and Foot Brute do not.

"Yes!" The others cheer for Leo and he smiles at Amy's support.

"Not a 1440, but three rotation and a ruby ring steal, boo to the yah!" Donnie exclaims.

"Too bad, so sad!" Mikey comments. "Better luck next time."

"Thanks for the help, you guys. I feel better already," Amy smiles as she looks at her limbs.

"But no Sydney..." Raph pouts and Amy grins.

"I think I have a solution to your problem. Come on," She waves them forward. Confused, they follow her anyway.

* * *

Foot Lieutenant and Foot Brute laugh as they run into the alley. "Fools. They thought we were after a puny ring." He looks down at their true prize, the hand that was holding the ring. What it was for would be a mystery, indeed...

Brit Worley approaches them, still a little dizzy from the air horn. Foot Brute looks annoyed at him. "Oh great, now what?"

"Did you get it?" Foot Lieutenant asks him.

"Heh...no," Brit explains and they both groan. Brit then turns into...a bull mutant! He has horns on top of his head as his skin is red. He has a huge nose, and also a beard as his eyes have turned green. He still keeps his hairstyle, however. He adjusts his tie as he looks up. "But rest assured, I will get it...even if I have to bulldoze that stupid place! Because as we all know..." He glances at the hand Foot Lieutenant's holding. "She has the other one."

Deep underground underneath Amy's bakery...is a spiked helmet.

* * *

Amy is driving the turtles on her bike. They're using the sidecars that surround the bike on both sides. She turns right and the turtles look anxious. Not because of Amy's driving, they knew how she could be with her motorcycle. They're worried for a different reason.

"We need to know if she did it!" Raph bites his fingers.

"I need the satisfaction!" Mikey complains, hands on his cheeks. Amy shakes her head.

"We're almost there, relax."

"My lady, mind telling me where you're taking us?" Leo wonders, putting his elbow on her leg.

"You've been asking that same question for 20 minutes," Amy sighs slowly. "Now stop asking me before I turn around."

"No, please!" Raph begs and she pulls into an alley, finally coming to a stop. The turtles scramble out of the sidecars as Amy stands up. They barge into the back door...to find themselves at Amy's bakery.

"Huh?"

The chairs have been flipped over and the windows have been covered by curtains, indicating that it's closed. The bread that's usually found on the shelf is also gone, meaning that Amy stored it away. There's also a blank chalkboard on the counter, which Amy uses to state her specials. She has a new one every week and they're usually something she came up with herself or something that was popular, like her chocolate cake or key lime pie.

Amy walks in from behind, putting her keys behind the counter. She steps up to the security system and leans in, the system doing a scan.

"What are we doing here? There's no TV around your bakery!" Mikey complains as a claw emits from the system, holding a cotton swab. Amy opens her mouth as it takes a DNA swab from her.

"Nice to see my security system's working out well for you, but what about Sydney?!" Donnie exclaims and the system beeps, setting the alarm for inside.

"Security measures on."

"Mellie, either help us out or don't, but we can't help you close up tonight," Raph picks up Amy and shakes her. "We. Need. Sydney."

"Please, pink-a-boo?" Leo gives her puppy eyes.

"Yo, stop ganging up on me!" Amy pushes off Raph. "Just follow me and you'll get Sydney." She walks over to a door next to the one for her supplies and future deliveries. She pulls out a key from her pocket, turning around to them seriously. "What I'm about to show you...you cannot tell anyone."

"Oh yeah, promise."

"Swear on our shells."

"No need to worry, pink-a-boo!"

"Cross our hearts and hope to die."

"Okay..." She opens the door to reveal stairs and they follow her upstairs, Amy turning on the lights. The turtles gasp in shock at the living room. There's a large couch, a large screen TV on the wall, and a large kitchen in the back. There's a door near the TV, probably a bedroom. They glance at Amy in shock for an explanation as Chewbacon jumps into her arms.

"This is where I spend my time whenever my mom is...agitated," She explains slowly, gesturing to the space. "It came with the building when it was purchased, but we didn't use it. I don't usually let people come up here...in fact, you're the first ones I've shown it to. But...I understand that watching Sydney is important to you, and you're my friends so...you can use my TV. My DVR records everything whether I like it or not, so you can re-watch it from the beginning." She shifts around nervously as they don't say anything, Amy patting Chewbacon on the head.

The four brothers glance at each other, slowly smiling. She trusted them enough to tell them about this secret space...cared enough to let them use her TV. They've never seen this true side of her before, but they liked it, especially Leo.

"Thanks Mellie. You're a good friend," Raph states as Donnie is setting the TV.

"We need popcorn, tell me you have popcorn!" Mikey exclaims excitedly.

"This system is amazing," Donnie looks at the TV in awe. "I am definitely recording Jupiter Jim on here. There's so much potential in this place."

"Are you sure you're fine with this, my lady?" Leo asks, placing a hand on her shoulder. "If you want us to leave-"

"No, it's okay," Amy shakes her head with a small smile. "I wanna do this. You've waited so long to watch, after all. I'll just be on the couch minding my own business."

Chewbacon glares at Leo, snorting angrily as he looks like he's about to tackle the turtle. Leo glares back and they have a stare down. He was not going to let this pig get the best of him. No how, no way.

"Chewbacon," Amy sighs at him. "Be nice to our guests or I'll have to put you in my room."

He oinks in defeat, jumping down to take his spot near the door. Amy shakes her head at him. Her pet pig could be a little overprotective.

She's about to move until Leo grabs her arm and pulls her into a hug. Confused, she hugs him back. "Thank you, Ames. We'll never forget this." He kisses her forehead and she finds herself blushing, letting go of him.

"Okay, that's enough of that!" She fans her hot face, confused on why she's feeling like this. God dang it, for the life of her, why couldn't she figure this out? Amy clears her throat and sits down in front of the couch, pulling out her phone. Mikey jumps over her, sitting down with the others. Amy lets out a small sigh as Donnie starts the match from the beginning.

"Hey..." Donnie looks at Amy. "Why don't you join us?"

"Eh?" She glances at him. "Isn't this your brother bonding time?"

"Yeah, but...it wouldn't be the same. You made this happen," Mikey replies. Leo pats the seat next to him.

"You're not gonna stop unless I say yes, are you?" She asks knowingly.

"You know us so well," Raph grins and she sighs, sitting next to Leo. She glances at him while they're leaning in excitedly to the TV. Amy feels her heart beat fast as she looks at Leo's markings. She felt drawn to him all of a sudden...

Them! The markings, not him! Wait, what? When did that appear in her mind? And about Leo of all people? The turtle who kept flirting with her all the time?

Amy covers her mouth with her fist as she remembers all those times that Leo comforted her...helped her...and he always protected her. Well, except for tonight. Wait, did she miss that? Why? Yes, she was paralyzed, but she suddenly missed Leo saving her? That dart didn't have any other side effects, right?

...Right?

She can't stop thinking about him for some reason. He's always the first one to hug her when she's sad, and he knows what to do whenever her mother was being irrational...she thought about the time he came over even though it was late. He did that for her. He woke up instead of going back to sleep like his brothers would and helped her...

Her eyes widen, mouth dropping open. No way...was she...in love with him?! Amy gulps, glancing at Leo as he's focused on the TV. She looks down at her hands, remembering how soft his touch was when they danced that tango...and when she took his hand earlier tonight...

Oh no...no, no, no...she couldn't let anyone know. Leo would never let her live it down, the others wouldn't understand or think she's playing a prank, Splinter would probably accidentally let it slip, and April would try to get them together. How the heck was she gonna explain that she might be in love with her friend?

Leo smiles that Amy's sitting next to him...until Chewbacon gets in between them rudely and Leo huffs. He tries to reach out to Amy as he can see her panicking a little, but Chewbacon growls at him. He retracts it back only to reach out again and Chewbacon growls louder. Leo smirks and plays around with this, using Chewbacon as a record.

"Leo, Chewbacon, stop it," Amy warns them and Leo does so, frowning slightly. Chewbacon rests his head on Amy's lap and Leo pouts, as that could've been him.

"Ha, Leo's greatest rival is a pig. Who knew?" Donnie chuckles and Leo frowns at him.

"Yeah well, I can do things he can't. Like call my lady all of those wonderful nicknames," Leo grins, leaning towards Amy and Chewbacon almost bites his head off. Amy pulls out a chew toy, a rabbit.

"Chewbacon~" She sings and he looks up, waving his butt in Leo's face. The turtle shouts in disgust. "Come on, boy, go get it." Amy throws the toy into her room, Chewbacon immediately running after it. He chews on it happily before realizing that it was a trick. He turns around, only for Amy to close the door in his face and he crashes against it. He slides down onto the floor, pawing at the obstacle.

"I'll let you out when you'll behave," She sits back down next to Leo and he smirks at the door.

"Leon 1, Evil pig 0."

* * *

The turtles watch in anticipation as they wait for the 1440 to happen. "So close on the first two. I bet she's gonna nail the 1440 now!"

"I believe in you, Sydney!" Donnie cheers, the turtles smiling as they've had no interruptions the whole time.

"I'll say it again. I love you guys," Mikey smiles at his brothers.

"Last chance. Can she do it, folks?" Sydney skates off, holding her skateboard as she spins. "One, two, three, fo-"

Carly from the news interrupts. Unfortunately, Amy's TV couldn't prevent commercials. "We interrupt this program to report a break-in at Gilbert's Department Store."

"Nooooooooo!" The turtles exclaim in dismay, Mikey holding his in the longest. He falls down onto the ground, his brothers looking dismayed. Something falls onto Leo's shoulder and he looks down curiously to see Amy asleep. Leo smiles widely as he feels a blush on his cheeks. He couldn't believe it, Amy was sleeping on his shoulder! He pats Amy's hair and she hums, burying her head onto his shoulder. Leo could feel the softness of her locks and the smell of her hair...strawberry. He smiles and shushes his brothers, wrapping his arms gently around the girl. He stands up slowly and Raph opens the other door to her bedroom. Her bed has a canopy around it, but other than that, it was kind of dark, so they can't see much. Luckily, Chewbacon also fell asleep. Leo places her down on her bed. Mikey clasps his hands near his cheeks at the sight.

"Aww, she looks so tiny~"

Leo chuckles, as that's not the phrase he'd use. She was...absolutely beautiful. Leo lifts her head gently so Raph can place in a pillow underneath. The three turtles glance at the TV in the living room, wondering whether or not they should still stay. Taking advantage of Amy's place didn't feel right, not when she's asleep. Raph sighs slowly and turns off the TV. They'd have plenty more to watch. Their friendship with Amy was more important than their idol, anyway. Besides, all the interruptions kinda took away all the excitement for them. Donnie, Raph, and Mikey all leave, whispering goodnight to Amy. Leo stays behind, gently moving away her bang so he could see her face.

She was truly a masterpiece. Her face like diamonds, her eyes like emeralds, and her voice like honey. Now if only he had the courage to ask her out...Ever since he first met her, he knew that he loved her. Her wit, her courage, and her spunk is what he admired the most. It never really bothered him that she was a human and he was a turtle, but...did it bother her? She did admit that she doesn't dislike them, given her hate for mutants, but how would she react to dating one. It's hard to say, because Amy is unpredictable. Like when she kissed his cheek once and said she liked him the way he is...would that mean all of him?

Leo sighs in defeat, draping a blanket over Amy. She buries herself into her blanket and pillow, falling into a deep sleep. He bends down and kisses her cheek slowly, softly.

"Goodnight, my lady. One day I'll win your heart. Maybe tomorrow, maybe a week, or maybe even a month if I have to. But someday..."

He leaves, not noticing a smile on Amy's face.


	14. Hypno! Part Deux!

**Angel: Since this episode most likely takes place during Repo Mantis, I'm placing the timeline _before_ Leo and Amy had that talk on the roof. Like, maybe a day or two before they spoke. I don't know exactly what night Donnie was doing his work since he, Mikey, and Amy spent several days building that place for Todd, but I don't care, I'm putting Amy in XD The rest of this series is just assumption on my part and so is any episode I write. Also, the dress I gave Amy is not the one I want you to draw next, Redbat, because I only just figured out what she was wearing. It was literally the last thing I wrote before I posted this.**

An emo boy with piercings and some of his hair dyed red is being filmed at a middle school, with Carly Balmaceda on the scene. "What are we doing at Futterton Middle School, Mr. Scheck?" She holds out the microphone to him and he scoffs.

"Mr. Scheck? What am I, 20? Call me Illusionist Mind-bending Scheck. I'm gonna make this middle school disappear," He wiggles his fingers. "No probbles. It's gonna be way sick, because us kids...don't need school. It's an illusion."

"Kids definitely need school," Carly says to the camera, as she valued education like every other adult does.

"Scheckter piece, now!" He throws down a smoke bomb and when the smoke clears, the building is gone. Everyone cheers, with one student exclaiming 'Oh my god!'

The video ends there because a gloved hand smashes a phone to pieces. "Those kids want magic, I'll show them a real disappearing act," Hypnopotamus grins evilly. He could do much better than some kid. He has the experience, the style, and...the pizzaz.

* * *

April takes a breath as she's standing in front of some trees. Mayhem is sitting right next to her. Instead of wearing her usual outfit, she's wearing a yellow dress with a blue belt around her waist, blue earrings, and yellow heels. Tonight was her homecoming dance at school.

"Come on, you can do this," She's giving herself a pep talk. "You've fought monsters, been to hidden cities, destroyed robots. You've..."

She looks at the banner and balloons, her confidence quickly shot down. "Who are you kidding? School dances are way more dangerous." She places her hands in her pockets and starts to walk away. She shouldn't have come, how could she do this?

Mayhem senses her hesitation and teleports to her shoulder. "Why am I even here?" He teleports them both so that she's facing in front of the school. Mayhem lands on the ground and swings his arms, placing them on his hips in pride. "You're right. I can do this. For Taylor, the coolest girl in school. Time for you to jet. I can't be like Seagull the Lizard Boy. I gotta be cool." He understands as he teleports away.

"Now where's Amy, she's supposed to meet me here..."

As if an answer, Amy pulls up on her bike. Her outfit is a silver dress that has spaghetti straps holding a v-neck top. Her bottom is a tulle skirt that stops at her knees with a black petticoat underneath, with a black belt around her waist. Her bracelet is silver and her shoes are black 2-inch heels, with the straps wrapping around her feet. Her necklace is a silver pendant with a cupcake as a charm. Amy jumps off her bike and removes her helmet. Her hair is down instead of up, with wavy ends that stop at her waist. There's a white rose at the left side of her hair, with a black feather underneath the flower. She has light-pink lipstick on, silver mascara, and glittery cheeks.

"Oh wow! You look amazing!" April exclaims and Amy smiles slightly.

"Thanks." Everyone is staring at her, but she doesn't care. Amy doesn't attend school in person, as she works during school hours. Instead, she has a robot to navigate through the school and uses that as her way to attend classes. April brings her the homework, tests, and quizzes afterwards.

April walks up to the entrance with Amy, who glances at a hippo float made by Taylor Martin. She rolls her eyes at it.

"Taylor Martin, the coolest girl in school," April states as she looks at it. Amy didn't know Taylor Martin personally, but Taylor was anything but cool.

"Eh. It's only a hippo. Nothing that really impresses me," Amy waves it off.

"Hey, April!" A bald kid wearing a purple dress shirt, gray pants, a light blue tie, and black shoes waves at April.

"Dale." Dale makes a boy drop his drink and Amy sighs slightly. "Aw no," April facepalms. Dale was...Dale.

"My favorite person," Dale smiles at her. "Amy, wow! I haven't seen you in person since...well, ever!"

"I figured I might as well make myself known," Amy shrugs, "And I'm here to accompany my friend," she places an arm around April, who smiles. She's glad to have Amy so that she wouldn't be alone.

"Hey, you going to this shindig? We usually wouldn't really go to one of these...dances, but I actually got invited by Taylor Martin to sit at the cool kids table, sooo..." April starts to walk away, Amy crossing her arms. Since when did April care about fitting in...?

"She invited me too!" Dale calls out as he holds up his phone.

"Oh," April comes to a stop. "I thought she just invited me, but...I guess you got invited too, that's cool. Cool..."

April opens the doors to the gym, with Dale and Amy next to her. Everyone seems to be focused on their phones rather than the dance. The gym is well lit, with blue, pink, and turquoise balloons. There are tables with bunny ears sticking out of hats. The theme was magic this year. Under a spotlight is the cool kids table, with a blonde girl standing there. She's wearing a hot pink dress with a magenta bow, and her hair is in a bun.

"Taylor Martin," April says as she smiles at them. April waves, Dale looking nervous.

"April, Dale. So glad you came," They glance at a boy with a lizard over his shoulders. April shudders at him.

"Lizard boy..."

"Oh, look at what the cat dragged in," Taylor eyes Amy up and down. "Robot girl. Amy, was it? You should really dye your hair," Taylor looks at one of her ends as if it was disgusting. "Maybe blonde so that you can actually look better."

"Taylor," Amy greets before smiling widely, "Was it? You should really mind your business and stay out of mine. So go suck a lemon up your mouth since you can't keep it shut."

They both glare at each other. April and Dale glance at each other, feeling awkward. "L-Let's be civil, girls," April stammers nervously, putting an arm around both of them. "How about you let Amy sit with us as an apology?"

"Hm, as long as she doesn't embarrass us." She pulls Dale to the table and April turns around to Amy.

"Amy, please don't ruin this for me!"

"April, why even bother trying to impress her? She's a little...shallow," Amy states bluntly. "She's not worth your time."

"I need this!" April begs and Amy holds up her hands silently in defense, sitting in an empty chair.

"We were all just talking about the most amazing new game. Hippo Crush," Taylor smiles as she leans in towards April. All the kids turn to them.

"So fun..."

Amy looks at them weirdly.

"Have you played it yet?" Taylor asks April.

"Uh, I've been meaning to download it!" April fibs.

"How are we gonna be besties if you don't have the game?" She wonders as they hear a ding.

"Got it!"

"Huh?" April looks away to look at Dale, who smiles, waving the phone to show the app.

"Amy, you should get it too. That way you can be like me!"

"Oh, how nice of you to tell me that," Amy grits her teeth, but she doesn't pull out her phone. She's not that willing to be like the popular crowd. She'd rather slit her own throat.

"Oh, okay," April scrolls up and tries to download it...but then Donnie's face pops up, blocking access to the app.

"Donnie says no no no."

"What the...?" April murmurs, as she doesn't remember that being installed.

"Donnie says no no no."

"Would you excuse me a second?" April glances up at Taylor, who groans at the music.

"This entertainment is so yesterday...wish we had something cool."

April glances at Amy, who looks a little bored, and then gets an idea. "Hey, how awesome would it be to have Amy do a little something?"

Taylor gasps as Amy's eyes widen. "Oh wow, really? That would be super awesome!"

"No, no, this is not awesome!" Amy holds her hair as she shakes her head.

"How about we have Amy sing at the end of the dance? Save the best for last!" April grins as Amy stands up abruptly.

"SAY WHAT?!" Amy yells in a slightly high-pitched voice. "Seriously?! You didn't even ask me first!" Amy shouts, April wincing at her. "No way! I'm not doing that! NO, end of conversation!" A little green bubble appears near April as a chibi Amy is talking.

"But we're gonna be so sad if you don't," April looks at her, giving her a look that says 'do it.'

"What'd you say?" Taylor asks as she didn't hear that, she was too busy on her phone.

"I mean, it'd be so sad if Amy ends up not doing it, but she will!"

Amy grits her teeth as smoke comes from her head, clenching her fist. April takes Amy's hand and pulls her away. They exit the gym so that April can make a phone call. Amy is ranting at her, but she's not paying attention.

"This whole singing thing with me is not happening! Ugh!" Amy crosses her arms as she looks away. April cringes as she dials Donnie, who is doing something while a few puppies are behind him.

"You are conversing with Donatello."

"What is a Donnie blocker?!" April demands.

"I put it on your phones so that you wouldn't get hacked or download anything with malware because I know how much you're into fantasy-"

"The only thing Donnie's blocking is April from being cool!" April yells at him in frustration, hanging up. Mayhem suddenly appears. "What are you doing here? I told you to go. Cool kids don't bring their pets to school. Do you want people to pick on me?"

Mayhem disappears and April sighs in relief. She then feels a dark presence and cringes, turning around to Amy. She doesn't look happy with her at all.

"April, I don't sing," Amy states clearly.

"What? Yes you do," April replies, as she's heard Amy sing before.

"Let me rephrase that, I don't sing for teenagers, let alone in public!" Amy shouts, clenching her fists. "I don't wanna do anything for Taylor and her cronies. I'm not doing it."

"Oh yes you are," April points at her. "You're my ticket for impressing Taylor."

"Oh sure, because using another friend is so like you," Amy narrows her eyes.

"You know what, if you can't understand how much this means to me, maybe we shouldn't be friends," April glares at her.

"Fine by me," Amy huffs and the doors open. They turn around to see students holding their phones, walking out in a straight line. Their eyes are pink.

"Is the dance already over?" April wonders as Amy looks at her watch. The dance doesn't end for another few hours. "Dale, what's going on? Hey, did Taylor tell us to go somewhere. Cool, cool, cool, I'm coming."

"Did you get the game, April?" Dale turns to her slowly and Amy cringes as it looked so unnatural. "We can play together."

"Not yet," April looks at her phone. "Someone installed a-"

"April," Taylor places her hand on her shoulder, scaring April and Amy a little. "Did you get the game?" Amy swore she saw an evil grin from that face.

"Totally!" April exclaims, but the blocker is still on. "Got it."

"Can I see it?" Taylor leans into her.

"Taylor. Privacy is a must," Amy states, hands on her hips. Seriously, this girl doesn't know anything about boundaries.

April 'drops' her phone. "Oh darn, my phone. But the game is so fun! All the hippos and stuff."

Amy glances at all the students and senses something wrong. She would tell April, but she's too busy trying to be popular. Amy scoffs, waving everyone else off and walking in the other direction. Mayhem notices the weird thing about them too above the lockers. He teleports so that he's in front of Amy and she yelps, coming to a stop. She huffs, looking behind her.

"April's made her choice. I'm outta here."

Mayhem gives her a serious look. "Yeah, I noticed it too, but—cripes, why do I do this to myself?" She grunts in defeat. Deep down, she still wanted to help April and figure out what was going on. "Fine! I'll do it. Where do we start?"

Mayhem jumps onto her shoulder and they teleport away.

They reappear onto the edge of a rooftop and Amy's eyes widen as she's looking down onto the streets below. She's actually not too far away from the school as she can see it from her left.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Amy exclaims, trying to keep her balance as she's wearing high heels. "Too close for my comfort!"

Mayhem teleports them away. The video of Scheck is being played as Raph and Leo are watching it on a laptop.

"It's so amazing!" Leo exclaims in shock. "The school was there one second and poof! Now it's gone!"

"I still don't understand. What happened to the tater tots, sandwiches, the pizza?!" Raph slams his fist on to the table.

"I really think you're focused on the wrong thing," Leo states seriously as Mayhem and Amy appear. She balances herself onto her feet, sighing in relief. Mayhem lands in front of the laptop and Amy looks around, realizing where she is.

"What is it, boy?" Raph asks as Leo is staring at Amy.

"Oh wow...! My lady, you look...look..." Leo faints onto the ground at her beauty. Raph and Amy gasp, bending down to him. Some blood comes from Leo's nose in shock.

"Leo? Leo!" Amy shakes him slightly, but no response. She covers her mouth in shock. "I think he's dead," She whispers in slight fear.

"Good job, Mellie. You killed my brother," Raph deadpans as he crosses his arms. "Such a shame, he had so much to live for."

"It's not my fault!" Amy exclaims in defense before examining Leo. "Oh wait, nevermind, I got a pulse."

"Let's get him up," Raph sighs and they both take an arm, wrapping it around their shoulders. They help Leo up and he opens his eyes groggily.

"Did I fall asleep?"

"No, you fainted," Raph states and Leo turns to Amy.

"Am I in heaven~?"

"No," Amy chuckles slightly at his face. He looked like he was dreaming.

"Pink-a-boo, you look...look...dazzling." He's never seen her in a dress like this one she's wearing. Truly, she was a masterpiece. She left her hair down...and she's wearing make-up...that dress fits her so nicely and that flower says it all.

"Please don't faint again, I came here for a reason," Amy murmurs, looking away as she contemplates that last word. No one's ever called here that before...it felt nice.

Mayhem is running around on the table. "I think someone's in trouble," Raph says in realization. "Is it us? Are you from the future?"

Mayhem and Amy look annoyed. "No! Listen, we have to go to-" Mayhem jumps and teleports them away before Amy can finish her sentence.

* * *

The students from the dance have moved from the gym to the auditorium, where green spotlights are moving around the stage. Some of their phones are just pink.

"Everyone give it up for the master magician," April is sitting between Dale and Taylor, glancing around nervously. She felt awkward as everyone is holding their phones and she broke hers. Not only that, she's looking for Amy, but she can't find her. "And inventor of Hippo Crush," The turban on the stage dissolves into smoke. "Tada! Hypnopotamus!" He makes himself known to them. April's eyes widen at him.

"Mutant hippo?"

"Hynpo is great," She glaces down the row. "Hypno is great."

"Now bitter biscuits another Scheck," He presses a button, covering a picture of Noah Scheck. "Ooo, he made a middle school disappear. Well, forget that hack! I'm telling you, tonight, I'm gonna make a high school disappear! Starting with this mascot!" He waves his fingers away from the stage as the mascot flies into the air being held by strings. "Behold, the awesome functionality Hat of Doom!" He throws a hat so that it's underneath the mascot.

April gives a nervous look and gets out of her seat.

"Abra-kazi-" He hears a noise and stops. "Wait. Wait a minute, something's not quite right."

As soon as April is about to get away, a spotlight shines on her. "Where do you think you're going, missy?"

April makes her arms like a robot. "I want to serve you." She drops her arms. "Aw forget it, it's wack." She goes out through the door and Hypnopotamus blinks at her phrase before he snaps out of it.

"Get her!" He orders, pointing to the door.

Mayhem teleports the three so that they land in front of the school. Amy rubs her head as she sits up.

"I hate poofing," Raph replies as Amy places a hand on her thigh.

"You and me both. He almost got me killed before I got to you. Listen up, we have to find out why-" Amy stops as she notices Leo looking at her dress. "Why do you keep staring at me? What is it, wonder turtle?!"

"Huh?" Leo snaps out of it before he looks around the environment, Raph and Amy rolling their eyes. "Wait a second, this is your school. April must be the one in trouble. We gotta go high school stealth."

Raph grins and the two high three. "Yeah!"

Amy glances at a locker near her and opens it, grinning at the sport uniforms.

* * *

Leo spins a basketball on his finger as he's wearing a blue basketball uniform with a gold stripe on the right of his pants. He has a number one on his jersey. Raph is wearing a football uniform, with the helmet to match. Mayhem slides in front of them, wearing a cheerleader uniform and holding pom poms.

"Okay, let's split up and find April."

Leo looks down and picks up Mayhem. "Aw, he's so cute. Take a picture, here, take a picture."

Raph wiggles his finger at Mayhem, chuckling. "That is cute."

"I'm totally gonna post this," Amy snaps a photo on her pink-cased phone. There's a cupcake on the cover and she has a pie charm attached at the bottom.

* * *

April hides in the science classroom, using a table to barricade herself in. Taylor peeks inside and kicks the door open. "April. It's your BFF Taylor. I just wanna play." She turns around April, only to find that it's a decoy. April is actually at the door and she slams it shut. "Get her!"

April runs down the hallway, Taylor immediately chasing after her. They turn the corner and run down the hall, with April coming out of hiding from a locker. A hat falls down, which has an hourglass inside it.

"What's this do?"

The hourglass glows purple and starts emitting electricity, making her gasp. She jumps out of the locker to see the hat swallow up the lockers. She gasps as she realizes how Hypno is gonna do it.

"He's gonna make us all disappear, permanently!"

Taylor stands at the end of the hallway and April turns around. "Get her." Her two minions chase after April and she takes off into a run, Taylor running after her. Leo, Raph, Mayhem, and Amy peek from the bushes outside, seeing April.

"I'm sorry, was that April being chased by her totally real friends?" Leo asks as Raph sighs in content.

"High school."

Amy facepalms and they turn around, seeing the float. "I've always wanted to drive one of those," Raph admits.

"Come on, we gotta save April!" Amy clenches her fists in determination, Leo staring at her. She sighs at him, shaking her head. "WHAT is it gonna take for you to stop staring at me like that? We need to focus here! Man up!"

"Sorry," He rubs his neck sheepishly. "You just look really beautiful."

Amy's mouth drops open as she looks away shyly. "Thanks..." Her eyes widen before she turns back to him. "But if you keep your mouth open like that, you'll catch flies."

Leo covers his mouth with his hands, making both Raph and Amy laugh.

"Hypno is great," The students say in unison as they've caught up with April. "Hypno is great."

"Join us," Dale holds up his phone that has the inside of a mouth moving on it. "Play the game. Be cool. I love you."

"Dale, you're so hypnotized. You'd say anything!" April replies in fear as Dale approaches her.

"Join us, disappear with us," He tries to hypnotize her by putting his phone to her face. Her eyes start to be taken in by it when Mayhem teleports onto her head, snapping her out of it. April smiles at him and he teleports her away...only for them to be taken back to the hallway.

"Mayhem!" She hugs the dog mutant. "You came back! I'm so sorry about what I-" Mayhem points behind her and she realizes that she's right behind the crowd. "Yeah, nope." She runs off with Mayhem, with the students chasing after her. She turns a corner and runs down the hallway. "Mayhem, now would be a good time to poof us out of here!"

She skids to a stop as she's blocked by several students. She turns to run in the other direction, only for her to be blocked off. She's surrounded by the students as they're holding their phones. She glances at Taylor, who looks crazed out of her mind. Mayhem tries to teleport, but all of his powers are drained, as he's teleported more than he's ever done today.

"Look at you. You're exhausted. You must be out of poof juice. Not to worry, I've got this. They will listen to me! I'm April O'Neil!"

"Who?" Everyone else asks in confusion, as April's eyes widen in realization that no one actually knows her.

"We're in trouble."

Suddenly, an engine roars and she looks up to see Taylor's float crashing through the wall. "Tally-ho!" Leo exclaims as the hippo head breaks off, leaving just the golf cart. They roll to a stop, Amy clutching onto the back seat like her life depended on it. Raph shakes his head rapidly as Leo looks up at the students.

"Oh, is this AP Bio?"

They all blink at him in confusion. Raph revs up the cart, driving past them and coming to a stop in front of April. She glances at Amy, smiling slightly. Amy pauses before she smiles back and April gets in.

"Drive." She fastens her seatbelt and Raph starts up the cart, taking off with the others.

"Where's the exit?"

"No, we can't leave," April turns to him. "Hypno's gonna make the school disappear."

"Another school is gonna disappear? These magicians are out of control," Leo comments and he looks down to see the girls glaring at him. "Oh right, it's your school, my bad."

Raph drives past a student. "That mutant hippo's got doom hats hidden all over the school," April explains, "But it's gonna be fine, I've got a plan."

"Against magic hats all over the school?" Amy asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Just trust me. We are still friends...right?" April questions hopefully. Amy smiles slightly and holds out her fist.

"Course we are...but I'm still not singing."

April bumps fists with her. "We'll agree to disagree!"

"Whoa, wait, you were gonna sing?" Leo asks in excitement and Amy facepalms. Raph hits the brakes and stops in front of the auditorium, where April led them. They leave her and Mayhem at the cart.

"You've gotta break Hypno's spell and free my friends! ...Okay, acquaintances. Just free everybody!" She takes off, with the three barging into the auditorium. Hypnopotamus is looking at his deck of cards, as he's sent everyone away.

"Finally, you're back. I was-" He turns to the entrance to see them. "Oh, it's you idiots."

"I beg your pardon?" Amy raises an eyebrow.

"Hypno!" Raph calls out, punching his hands. "Welcome to another edition of...Raph the piece theater! Tonight's episode..." He tries to come up with something but can't. "Punches!"

"Oh wow, so original," Amy rolls her eyes.

"But first," Leo dribbles his basketball. "How do you make a school disappear? Wait, don't tell me! Okay, tell me. I-"

Amy covers his mouth. "Can we stay on subject, wonder turtle?"

"A good magician never reveals his plans...but a good villain always does. Oh, I'm torn, guys. I gotta be honest. Therefore," He makes his razor sharp rings appear. "Rings!" He makes them float and he holds out his palm. The rings fly over to them and they jump out of the way. There's an explosion at the entrance. Five cards appear in Hypno's left hand. "Is this your card?"

He throws it and Leo lands at one of the seats, spinning the basketball. "How did you-" He jumps out of the way as the cards explode at the seat. Leo jumps again and Raph is suddenly at the stage.

"Hey!" He goes in for the punch, but Hypno moves out of the way. Amy drops herself down from the catwalk, but Hypno dodges that too. "Are you friends with Noah Scheck? We're huge fans."

"Scheckter piece now!" Leo exclaims in hype.

"That kid?" Amy scoffs, waving her hands. "Ooo, he made a school disappear so there's no more school. How thrilling."

"Seriously? That's not impressive to you?" Leo asks in disbelief.

"Pfft. Magic is easy as one," Amy somehow makes a magician's hat appear on her head. "Two," She rolls the hat down her arm and it lands on the ground. "Three!" Amy dissolves into a solar beam, going into the hat. Everyone gasps at it as Leo looks inside the hat, but there's nothing there.

"Wow, that is impressive," Leo comments, Raph clapping.

"You...gotta get some tips," Raph points at Hypnopotamus as in a poof of smoke, Amy reappears.

"You would be impressed by something like that...though it was amazing." Hypnopotamus looks at the hat. "But he wears knit caps! In summer!" He throws his rings towards them. "Who does that?!"

"Oh really?" Leo asks as the two run over to him. "Because if you wanted to make a school disappear, it reminds me of his trick. Maybe you're the hack!" Leo throws his basketball into Hypnopotamus' face. Doves fly out of his jacket.

"My doves!" He picks up a magician's hat. "Say...rabbit, rabbit." Rabbits hop out of the hat, knocking down the three. Raph jumps into the air and grabs the head of the hippo mascot costume.

"Cowabunga!" Raph screams, slamming the mask into Hypno's face. He goes flying into the wall and lands outside the school. Raph glances at Leo and Amy. Hypno snaps out of it and pulls out a phone.

April is driving the cart down the hall while Mayhem is gathering all of the hats with a stick. He glances at April, as he's still tired. April then gets blocked by two students.

"Get out of the way!" She calls out, but the hats start glowing, meaning the process is about to start. "We gotta do something."

Mayhem springs into action, grabbing one hat in his mouth and teleporting all of the others away, to April's shock.

Hypno holds up the phone. "Mesmer-Roo!" Suddenly, the hats that Mayhem transported appear above him, with Mayhem on top of the mountain. The hats land on Hypnopotamus, and Mayhem teleports them all up in the air.

"Oh, look at your little outfit. That is cute." Mayhem disappears and he realizes what's happening. "Oh wonker nelly." He disappears along with the hats, causing a large surge that makes all the students go back to normal.

Taylor looks around in confusion. April stops the cart in front of her, smiling nervously. The cart breaks down, smoke coming from the front. Mayhem teleports back into April's arms. Taylor screams in frustration.

"You and your ugly cat destroyed my float, O'Neil!" She brushes a bang away as she leaves, but April doesn't seem to care anymore. She looks at Mayhem and hugs him, as he was the only one to stand by her...besides Amy. Who she still needed to apologize to.

Dale approaches her. "Hey April, if you, uh, don't have a date for the next shindig, I-"

"Not now, Dale. No," April tells him.

"So..." Leo leans in towards Amy as they're watching the scene. "Why don't you wanna sing?"

"I don't want to," Amy states clearly.

"Aw, come on," Leo places an arm around her and she slaps it away.

"What part of I don't want to do you not understand?" She asks irritably.

"What's the big deal?" Raph wonders, "It's just singing."

"I have stage fright, okay?!" Amy clenches her fists and Leo jumps onto Raph, clutching onto him in slight fear. "So stop asking."

Leo and Raph glance at each other, smirking widely. Amy's eyes widen as she sees the looks. "Oh no. You can't make me do this. No! There is no way I'm doing it."

* * *

"I can't believe I'm doing this."

Amy is standing on stage in the auditorium, staring at all the students. One of them coughs as it's that silent. Taylor is up at front, playing with her phone. After AmyShe sweats all of the people, the seats are all full. So many...

She fidgets with her dress as she's glaring at Leo, Raph, and April. They all give her a thumbs up as they're blocking her exits. Mayhem is on the other side, ready to teleport her back onto the stage if needed.

Leo presses play on the stereo he has and the music starts to play. Amy knew this song very well, it was a song she knew the lyrics to, so that was a start...

Now she just had to open her mouth and sing the words.

Amy takes a deep breath. She can do this...

* * *

Leo, Amy, Raph, April, and Mayhem burst out of the school, all cheering. "That was awesome!" Leo exclaims. "It was like I was in your soul."

"Ignoring that last part, thanks," Amy sighs in relief. After getting some encouragement from her friends, she did it. She sang a song for the dance...she was a little nervous, but after a few lines, she had gained her confidence and sang her heart out. Everyone, except Taylor, was clapping after she was finished. She had never done that before...it felt different.

"I'm sorry for not asking you first," April tells her and they both hug.

"It's fine..." Amy grins evilly.

"I owe you ice cream, don't I?" April sighs knowingly.

"Heck yeah," Amy goes over to her bike and Leo walks up to her.

"You were really great out there," He confesses, rubbing his neck. Amy looks at him with a look he can't tell, and she smiles slightly at him.

"Thank you, Leo..."

Leo leans in towards her lips and she gives him a blank look, driving off. He falls onto the ground. "Cool, cool..."

But as she's driving her bike, Amy is faintly blushing.

 **Angel: Sorry for not showing the scene where Amy sang, but I've done enough for this episode. She sang Listen by Beyonce if you're that curious.**


	15. The Gumbus

**Angel: Sorry for the wait, it took up until this morning for the episode to be posted online, and I had classes. But, after four hours, it's finally done! Hopefully I can write the next one by Monday!**

On a dark and stormy night, a voice can be heard from the lair. "Hello?" It sounds like a little boy. Mikey is in his room, watching something from Donnie's tablet, hidden under his blankets in fear. "Is someone there?" He gasps as Mikey grimaces. "It's the Gumbus!" Mikey is shaking and he screams, throwing the tablet away as he quivers. The tablet lands in front of three pairs of feet. Leo picks up the tablet.

"Uh, what you watching, Miguel?" Leo wonders as Mikey pops his head out from the pillows. Amy is holding Chewbacon in her arms. Chewbacon is grinning evilly at Leo, who backs away slowly. The pig could be very...ambitious about the fact that Amy loves him and not Leo. He once tried to squash Leo with a piano. As a result, Amy had to take away his favorite meal for a month.

"Omigod, omigosh! I was just watching my favorite can-stacking channel," He starts off to their confusion.

"Can-stacking. O...kay," She glances at Leo and Amy as Mikey appears in front of them.

"It's a thing!" He insists. "There's this one supermarket Stockboii. He builds forts, towers, national monuments!"

"Yeah, I see his channel has... _a_ like," Leo eyes the channel as the channel doesn't prove to be that popular.

"I would've liked it twice if I could," Mikey states and Amy glances at the others.

"I'm just gonna erase this conversation from my mind and wonder why you were screaming," She raises an eyebrow.

"Anyway, he's at the store after hours, and...you gotta see it!" He scrolls up and presses a video titled 'The Gumbus.' The video starts with Stockboii holding a flashlight in what looks like a can stacking of the Statue of Liberty.

"And now, I shall complete the most difficult stack of all," He turns on the flashlight. "Only completed by one other stockboy. The Lady Liberty stat-" There's a noise nearby and his eyes widen. "Hello? I-Is someone there?" He pans the camera over to an aisle, only for a can to roll by. Stockboii lets out a scream as he can hear pattering. He turns his gaze over to the can statue and turns around slowly, and the camera goes to static as something green attacks him. The flashlight is dropped onto the ground and Stockboii crawls over to the camera, panting. "It's the Gumbus!" The video ends there, but not before the end footage appears. "Be sure to subscribe and donate!"

"Whoa!" April exclaims, Leo and Amy looking skeptical at the whole thing. She turns to them in confusion. "What's a Gumbus?"

Mikey appears at her hip, his eyes looking freaked. "It's a ghost, that haunts the Stock N Shop," He hugs April and Amy in fear. April pats his head while Leo scoffs.

"There's gotta be a simple answer," He throws the tablet away. "Earthquake, magnets, giant prankster mice. There's no such thing as ghosts."

"WHAT?!" Mikey drops onto the ground before standing up. "How can you say there's no such thing as ghosts when there's such a thing as us? The Gumbus is real! Amy believes me, right?"

"Uhh...I just can't agree with you, Mikey," Amy shakes her head. "If ghosts were real, my dad would haunt me." Leo places a hand on her shoulder since that was still a touchy subject. The three all glare at each other.

"Only one way to settle this heated debate," April pushes the two turtles away. "We head up to the Stock N Shop, and tamper with the mysterious forces of the underworld." She laughs evilly like a mad man, Amy's eyes widening at her. Mikey rubs his neck sheepishly, laughing nervously.

"I'm fine just getting the pants scared off of me in my pillow fort," He starts to walk away, but Leo grabs his hand.

"Oh no. April's right. I'm gonna prove to you there's no such thing as a Gumbus," Leo pulls him away from his pillow fort, Mikey protesting.

"No, no, I don't wanna go!"

"Aw yeah, ghost hunting!" April exclaims in excitement.

"My lady, can you drive us?" Leo grins at her and she rolls her eyes. She places down Chewbacon and grabs her keys.

"Donnie, take care of Chewbacon for me!" She calls out. "And don't try to experiment on him like you did last time or no more pineapple muffins!"

"I said I was sorry!" He shouts back from his lab.

* * *

Amy parks her motorcycle outside and as soon as she stands up, Brit Worley looks around the corner, smirking to himself. If Amy wasn't gonna let him into her store (she banned him for making a protest outside the bakery), then he'd follow her around to get blackmail to use that against her. He rubs his hands together. "Soon, that bakery will be all mine. Mine!" He laughs evilly and hears someone clear their throat. He looks up to see Leo, Amy, Mikey, and April staring at him.

"You do know we can hear you?" April asks and he mentally facepalms himself for not being quiet.

"Is this that kid you told us about?" Leo glances at Amy.

"Yup, this is him," Amy looks annoyed. "Give it up, twerp. I'm not selling my store. I have lawyers who can vouch that my bakery is a landmark, so you can't change it into your arcade."

"...Heh. I knew that..." He rubs his neck sheepishly, but he actually didn't. He should've done some more research into the building. He suddenly snaps a photo of the two turtles and tries to get away. "Blackmail!"

"What should we do with him?" Mikey wonders as Amy picks him up by his blazer, stopping him from moving further.

"Hey, this is made out of panther fur! This is coming out of your pay when I sue you!" He shouts in protest as Amy looks at him. She looks up at the sign, grinning at the others.

* * *

Brit is hanging by the sign with his underwear, muffling as his mouth is taped shut. The four teens all laugh at him, Amy snapping a photo. It's been like that for a while now. He was always trying to come up with an 'evil' plan to get her bakery, but she always managed to stop them, whether the turtles were around or not. "This is good. This is a good time," Amy comments as she's holding Brit's phone, getting into it easily. If his password wasn't his name in numbers, she'd throw it into the river. She finds the photo and deletes it, and _then_ she throws it into the nearby river.

"Hey!" Brit shouts angrily, but they can't hear him from the tape on his mouth. "You owe me a new phone!"

"Sorry, can't hear you," Amy calls out as they walk away, leaving him muffling. They sneak in through the air ducts, bumping into each other along the way. The door opens and Leo screams as he falls first. Amy, Mikey, and April follow soon after, landing on the ground roughly. Something lands on Leo's head.

"Ow! Mikey, why do you have that thing?" Leo wonders as Amy tries not to laugh. Mikey brought a vacuum with a flashlight attached to it.

"To suck up the ghosts!" He answers, grabbing it and standing up. He turns on the flashlight. "It's lined with tinfoil to keep 'em in!"

Amy sighs at him as she stands up, dusting off her skirt. "Mikey, I don't really think you needed to bring that thing."

"Guys," April holds her own flashlight. "Check it out. This place is like Christmas morning for food!" She looks around at all the things.

"This place is creepy!" Mikey states in fear.

"Creepy or awesome?" April asks back as something is watching them. "Answer, both."

"What was that?" Mikey questions in fear as he turns around. Leo sighs at him.

"What?" He asks expectantly and Mikey gasps.

"I heard something," He states and Amy facepalms.

"Mikey, it's a supermarket. Something probably just fell," She replies, crossing her arms. They move their flashlights to find the source...which is a moving train.

"A model train. Simple answer," Leo speaks up knowingly. "Oh ho ho ho," He turns in the other direction.

"What kind of sicko puts a model train in a grocery store?!" He complains, Amy holding her stomach and laughing.

"The kind to make you think there's a ghost," She points at him.

"Focus, guys. We came here to see a ghost, and a ghost we shall see," April tells them and Mikey's flashlight lands on a scarecrow. He yelps as he backs away. He feels something and turns around, screaming when he sees a hippo head mantle. He could see everything as scary in here, and the dark wasn't helping things. He hits something from behind and the shadow turns around to him. He yells and uses his vacuum. "Ghost!"

"Hey, I'm not a ghost!" Leo pushes the pack away, as his face was getting sucked up, glaring at Mikey. Amy covers her mouth, stifling a laugh.

"And now we know for sure," Mikey nods in agreement.

"What is the hold-up, guys?" April demands.

"I dunno, ask Mikey," Leo gestures to his brother.

"I feel like something is watching us!" Mikey exclaims as something is getting closer to Amy and Leo.

"Me too. Isn't it great?" April grins, Amy shaking her head.

"You two are nuts," Leo states in disbelief. "The only people here are the four of us, including my lady," He leans in close to Amy, grinning.

"Correction, the three of you are nuts, and I'm the only sane one," Amy crosses her arms, something landing on Leo's head. He screams as something with long strips is on him. Mikey and April scream, Mikey in fear and April in excitement. Mikey hugs April tightly. Amy tries to pull on the strips to get it off.

"The Gumbus got Leo!" It hits Leo on the head repeatedly.

"There's no such thing as a-" Leo takes the object and grabs it, "Gumbus." It's just a mop and Amy scoffs.

"A mop. That's your Gumbus?" She eyes Mikey and turns around, pointing her flashlight at Stockboii, who looks nervous.

"You? What's the big idea?" Leo demands.

"I'm sorry! I thought you were the Gumbus," He explains and stands upright. "Wait, are you turtles?"

"We're not into labels," Mikey shakes his head. "All that matters is that we're huge fans of your haunting videos!"

"He is, us not so much," Amy points at Mikey.

"Always great to meet my fans...in any form. Did you subscribe and donate?"

"No, but we've been thinking about meaning to," Mikey explains, Amy shaking her head at him. She was not going to donate money out of her paycheck to a little kid that does videos on can-stacking. It hurts just to even _think_ that, and she's only 14 and a half years old. Stockboii eyes Leo and Amy further, gasping. The two glance at each other.

"I know you guys! You were in that dance video that you posted!" He points at them and Amy looks confused, Leo smiling that someone recognized them. "Remember? The tango!" He pulls up the video where Leo and Amy were in Times Square, dancing together. It's got over a million views since its posting on the internet, and 499,999 likes.

"Oh yeah..." Amy looks away, not wanting to be reminded that it was still online. "But I never posted it."

"Yes you did," He shows proof since Amy has an account. She mostly does baking videos and also some videos with Chewbacon. Amy glances at Mikey, who laughs sheepishly.

"Ohhh, right. I forgot that I dared Donnie to access your account and post it..."

"Anything else you wanna tell me while you're at it?" She deadpans and he shakes his head no rapidly.

"I'm a huge fan of your work!" Stockboii shakes Amy's hand, showing a wooden doll of her. "See? See!" Amy looks creeped out and Leo chuckles.

"Well, I don't blame you. There is a certain...spark between us," He wiggles his eyebrows and Amy groans at that joke.

"Really?" She mutters under her breath.

"So, can you tell us about this awesome ghost?" April asks happily.

"Or 'figment' of your imagination," Leo does air quotes, crossing his arms.

"Perfect timing," Stockboii takes out his phone from his apron. "I was about to vlog about that." He presses record. "The Gumbus. It all goes back to ancient times, 1987!"

"Ah!" Mikey yells at the thought.

"I'll spare you the gory details," Amy rolls her eyes, "The greatest stockboy this store's ever seen, Jeremiah Gumbus," He pans over to a shadow with chains nearby behind a window. "The crunch of the chains of the milk processing plant!" April screams in ecstatic.

"What happened to sparing the gory details?" Mikey asks in fear.

"Puhlease," Amy waves him off. "You honestly believe this? It's stupid!" Mikey shushes her and she narrows her eyes at him with a look that says 'Don't shush me.'

"Chain and soul combined, and now, as the chain laded Gumbus, he haunts the aisles of the store. Legend has it the only way to free the Gumbus from his eternal torment is..." Chains appear, stopping his video and grabbing him. He screams as he drops his phone. "The Gumbus!" He screams as the chains drag him away.

"What?" Leo asks in disbelief, the others looking shocked. Stockboii is dragged into the darkness, screaming.

"What?!"

"Uh..."

"Got a simple answer for that, Leon?" Mikey brags, hands on his hips, "Or you, Amy?"

"Ugh!" Leo rolls his eyes, as Mikey is definitely wrong. He stands behind a stacked pile of cans. "Obviously he's behind the cans," He moves them away...only for a silhouette of his body to remain, with the words 'save me' on them in green. His glasses are broken. "Uh, yeah," Leo chuckles nervously before looking at it in shock and denial. "It can't be. No, no, no, no!" He looks down at the cans, moving them away to find a trap door or anything. "This can't be happening. There's gotta be an explanation."

"This," Amy chuckles nervously. "This is a prank, right? Are we being punk'd right now like on those TV shows? Where's the camera?"

They hear a deep voice laugh, turning around to see nothing. "Anybody there?" April wonders as she points her flashlight. They look down the dark aisle, April giggling as Leo moves past them.

"Stockboii," Amy laughs, trying not to look scared, "Come out, come out, wherever you are."

They look around and hear squishing noises, moving the flashlight closer...to see a turkey on the floor. "Uh, a-a turkey?" Leo moves closer and reaches out to it...

"I'm alive!" Stockoii suddenly shouts, causing Leo and Amy to jump up and freak the heck out. April is smiling while Mikey looks like he's about to pee in his shell.

"It's a talking turkey!" Leo points at it while Amy hugs him from behind in fear, holding a broom as a potential threat.

"Guys, it's me," The turkey stands up, "Stockboii. The Gumbus trapped me in here. Hold on a second," He starts to pull something out and Amy looks on in disgust, covering her mouth as she looks away. He pulls out his selfie stick. "Hold on. Hey fans, it's me, Stockboii."

"This is happening," Leo chuckles as Stockboii goes on, laughing. "This is really happening."

"What the shell is going on around here?" Amy throws down the broom, "How is this even possible, this shouldn't even be real. Why is this happening? No, no I'm not even-I'm not even joking, like what the heck?" Leo looks at her, staring into her eyes. She looks at him and Stockboii notices it.

"Are you guys about to kiss or something?"

Amy's eyes widen as she gets off Leo and she could practically hear the record scratch. "What?! No!"

"Aw," Leo pouts at that.

"I have no words," Amy looks away, covering her face as she tries to figure out what the heck was wrong with her.

"This is happening!" April exclaims, taking Mikey's pack. "Hide behind the giblets, I'll smash you out!"

"No!" Stockboii protests, "You'll destroy my soul, and...mess up my inventory. The only way to expel Gumbus is to create his greatest creation." Leo stares at him, still not believing that he's in a turkey. Amy rubs her temples while Mikey and April stare at him. "The Lady Liberty stack! You'll need to access my video, subscribe and donate, and-"

"I've seen it a thousand times for free!" Mikey exclaims as they walk past him. "I can do it!"

April hollers as they run down the aisle. "Come on, guys!" They arrive at an aisle labeled 'Canned Stuff' and something flies right past them, stopping the group in their tracks. "Whoa!"

It's a slice of bread as they're in front of the 'Pizza and Pasta' section. They turn around as pizza and bread are flying in the air.

"Uh oh."

"Oh, boy," Leo comments and the pizza starts flying at them. "Get down!" He pushes Amy onto the floor, April ducking underneath a pie. Leo gets hit in the face with one and April turns to Mikey.

"Mikey!"

"Cover me!" He rolls to get past the pizza and starts to work on the statue as fast as he can. Leo looks down at Amy to make sure she's okay and his eyes widen. Amy is looking up at him while he's holding her arms, their lips close to each other.

"My lady...?"

Amy doesn't say anything as she yelps, rolling away from a loaf of bread. They stand up, blocking the food with their arms. "Mikey, hurry!" Leo insists. Paper from the dispensers fires right at them and they're hit with the paper.

"This is exactly what the real Michelangelo would do with his creative stuff!" Mikey exclaims while the others are dealing with the pizza and paper, Leo eating a pizza in the air and then getting hit by one. "And we're basically the same level of artist!" He takes apart his flashlight, "Tada!" The statue is finished and the three are dropped onto the ground. April laughs, Leo lifting his head.

"We...we did it!"

"Whoo!" April cheers, standing up. "Mikey, you appeased the Gumbus!"

"Oh sweet relief," Amy sighs happily.

"Ha," Mikey gestures to his masterpiece. "What can I say? I'm the best." The flashlight goes out because of the batteries running out of power. "Huh?"

Leo's eyes twitch, April smiling widely and Amy looking like she's about to go insane. The lights go out above them and Leo gasps as he hears something behind him. There's a crash and Amy turns her flashlight to a dropped can. Leo whimpers, turning to his brother.

"Mikey! Use my flashlight!"

Mikey holds out his hand as Leo moves the light over so he can see...and then there's the huge Gumbus behind the statue. Leo quivers as April smiles, Amy slowly pointing behind the turtle. Mikey slowly turns around and screams for his life. The Gumbus attacks and they all dodge it, the Gumbus yelling at them. Mikey, Amy, and Leo all scream in fear, April fangirling.

"Flee!" Mikey shouts as they turn the corner.

"I hate this, I hate this!" Leo screams.

"This is so not awesome!" Amy yells as April turns around with a smile, the Gumbus chasing after them. It roars at them, flinging its chains. April's laughing like she's having the time of her freaking life while Amy, Leo, and Mikey are screaming. The Gumbus makes a fist, causing some of the items to soar towards them.

"Where's the exit?!" Mikey screams as to them, there's nothing but aisles. April, Leo, and Amy wheel up to him with a cart.

"How long is this freezer aisle?!" Leo shouts, hugging Mikey in fear. The Gumbus thrusts up his arms, making the cabinets float and closing them in. "He's gonna box us in!"

"Yes!" April exclaims as she's moving the cart. "Ramming speed!"

"Mikey!" Leo screams, Mikey going completely into his shell. Amy grips the cart as April crashes through the cabinets, all of them tumbling onto the ground. Leo slides to a stop while Amy bumps into Leo behind, looking around nervously. Mikey comes out of his shell and hugs Leo tightly, both of them shaking.

"Look guys, it'll be fine," April stands up, "We know how these things go. As long as we stick together and don't split up, we'll be okay!"

As soon as she says that, the cabinet turns around, replacing April with the Gumbus. It roars and the three scream in terror, Leo grabbing his lady and his brother and running like heck.

"Since this is my first time being wrong," Leo starts off as he pulls the two to the meat section, "Is it always this scary?"

"Yes!" Mikey answers as they duck behind the counter. "But now that thing's got April, and I've got the only thing that can stop it," Mikey clutches a flashlight and holds his device, pointing it at the Gumbus. "Get thee back tot the Netherworld, fiend!" He activates it, starting to suck the Gumbus into it. "It's working, it's working! And I don't even know what it's plugged into!"

"Yes, get him! Get that chain laded doofus!"

"Yeah, you better get it!" Amy threatens. The Gumbus is captured inside, only to reveal that it's a robot. What Mikey sucked up was a cloth. They all look at it silently, Mikey turning off his device.

"A robot?" He asks in confusion, Leo slowly smiling.

"Oh thank god, everything makes sense again," Amy runs a hand down her face.

"Ah ha, right? The simple answer. I was right, I was right, I was right."

"Ah man," Mikey looks dismayed as Leo is dancing, "I was scared of something that doesn't even exist." The robot is still on, however, and Leo screams.

"Real stuff is scary enough as it is." He pushes Mikey and Amy out of the way. "Defend yourself!" He grabs a sausage and Mikey is about to grab the ax, but gets a turkey leg instead. Amy gets a ham attached to a bone. The robot cuts through the all.

"Oh no," They all say in unison.

The robot laughs, but a turkey hits it from behind. "Aprillll O'Neil!" It's revealed to be April as she has a pack of sausages on her back kind of like arrows and a quiver. "Oh, you gonna wish you were a ghost, Gumbus!" She prepares a sausage and the robot prepares its chains. "Salami!" She fires the sausage, cutting the robot off from the roof, which it was attached to. It drops onto the ground and there's an explosion, causing them to cover their eyes. Stockboii is thrusted out of the body, landing in front of them.

"What?! You?" Mikey asks in surprise.

"Duh, he was literally 100 percent of the people we know from this place," Leo tells him.

"And also the only one here who was in the store when we got here," Amy points to the floor.

"What's this?" Leo picks up Stockboii's phone. "Ugh, you were recording the whole thing, weren't you?"

"I had to! Because of cheapskates like you! Who watch my videos, but never subscribe and donate! And her!" He points at Amy, who's looking down at the ground. "She's way more popular and I had to do it so I can top her for best video!"

"What? So you did all of this...for money?" April asks in disbelief.

Stockboii lets out a sigh. "Look, this is my parents' store. They don't even pay me to work here. But there's big bucks in hoaxes."

" _Money_?" Amy chuckles darkly and the others look at her. They could practically imagine the purple and black aura around her, that's how mad she is. "You scared us out of our minds...for _money_ and fame?"

"Um..." Stockboii chuckles nervously, backing away slightly as she looks up, her pupils black and her eyes red.

"M-My lady," Leo steps in front of her. "We can get ice cream."

"With chocolate sprinkles," April suggests, patting her shoulders to calm her down.

"And chocolate syrup!" Mikey adds.

"Ice cream~" Leo sings and she calms down, turning back to normal.

"Fine...but April's paying."

"Looks like you're done, hoss," Mikey places his hands on his hips. "We'll be taking the footage with us."

"What?!" Stockboii asks in anger, sighing. "You'll pay for this. You will rue the day you crossed young man genius, Baxter Stockboy!" Thunder strikes as he glares at them.

"Wait a minute," April holds a hand. "Your name is Stockboy, and you're a stockboy?" Everyone laughs except Amy, who still looks a little pissed.

"I'll teach you to laugh at me!" He laughs as he pulls a lever, pressing a button and activating the cabinets. "Now you will feel the wrath of-"

"Baxter?" His eyes widen, "Are you in there?" His parents come in and see the damage. "You were supposed to be home an hour ago." The cabinets drop onto the floor. "What happened to the store?"

"Oh no, guys. It's my parents!" He turns to them, only to see them leaving. Leo's chewing on the sausage. The parents can't see them because it's dark.

"Tell us if you got grounded in your next video, okay?" He climbs up the vent.

"Be sure to subscribe and donate? You!" Amy comes to a stop as she's about to climb. "I WILL be bigger than you'll ever be!"

Amy huffs, turning around. "Get in line, I already got a kid swearing revenge on me," Leo holds out his arms and she takes them, disappearing into the vent as he pulls her up. "Bye, ooh, we won't miss you. Let's get out of here before I get arrested for assault on a child."

"Baxter! Why does the turkey have a selfie stick?!"

Brit falls from the sign, his face landing on the pavement from the parking lot. "Ow..."

* * *

It's 3 in the morning as the turtles are asleep. Amy has come and gone to take Chewbacon back home. Leo snores in his bed, thinking about his lady.

 _Amy is standing on a cloud, wearing a flowing white dress. She looked like an angel...she is an angel. Leo smiles happily as he floats over to her and she turns around, smiling brightly._

 _"Leon...Come here."_

 _"Gladly, my lady..." He sighs in content as he holds her in his arms. She leans in to kiss him and he does too, their lips about to touch._

A ring from his phone interrupts him and he groans at his dream ending. He reaches out to grab the phone without even looking because that's how tired he is. He picks up and his phone goes to face mode. "Hello?" He murmurs without looking at the phone, showing that whoever's on the other line could care less to him.

"Leo?"

His eyes widen as he removes his blanket, recognizing the voice. "My lady?" He looks at her and his eyes widen. Her face looks terrible as she looks awful, and he's only saying that lightly because Amy looks scared out of her mind, more than when they were at the Stock N Shop. Her hair is a mess and she looks like she's panicking. Her face is slightly bruised as he can see marks on her.

"You have to come here," She tells him, looking around while panting.

"Pink-a-boo, it's 3 in the morning," He states, sighing a little. Not that he didn't want to talk to her, but sleep was also a priority.

"Please!" She insists, about to cry. "I need you, please. Get over here."

"Okay, okay," He holds out a hand to calm her down and looks over to the entrance of his room. "I'll wake up the others."

"NO!" She shouts defensively and he turns back to her in surprise. She's never used that tone before. "Just you..."

"...Okay," He answers as she's rubbing something away from the phone. "I'll be right over."

"Hurry," She whispers, sniffling and as soon as he hangs up, he's already out of the lair.

* * *

When Leo sneaks inside the apartment, he was expecting Amy to be in the same state she was already in. He was growing concerned by the second because anything could've happened while he was on his way.

What he wasn't expecting was her mother to be on the ground.

Leo glances at Amy as he's in the kitchen and she's standing over the sink, rubbing something on her arm. She's muttering something to herself, not having heard Leo come in. There's a needle with a purple liquid inside on the ground, which looks like it's been used. Amy is dressed in a light pink top and pants with green lining. Her hair is in pigtails with pink bows, with her bang still out like she normally has it.

"No, no, no!" She slams her hand against the counter, covering her face with her hair in disbelief and sadness. Leo approaches her slowly, so as not to overwhelm her.

"My lady?"

Amy shakes as soon as she hears him and turns around slowly. Leo has to hold in a breath as he can see a bleeding bruise on her head and a red mark on her cheek. She's holding her arm tightly, as if she wanted to hide it.

"Don't look at me," She murmurs in fear. Leo could only stay silent. He's never seen her so...vulnerable before. It's not like her to be like this, which means something serious must've happened.

"Ames..." He steps closer. "Tell me what happened."

"...I was making dinner...my mother had locked herself in her room...and everything was fine," She starts off, holding back tears. "Until she hit me in the back of the head with a pan. I tried to defend myself, but she slapped me and I fell." She sniffles, crying as she presses her head against Leo's plastron. He could see a growing bruise near her forehead and glances at the woman on the ground. "And then she started kicking me and wouldn't stop. She wouldn't stop saying how I could never replace her daughter..."

"...Is she?"

"No," Amy sniffles. "Just knocked out. I had to use a sedative on her..." So that's what the needle was for.

Leo hugs her tightly and lets her cry. "Do you...do that often?" He asks softly. "Or do you have nurses to do that?"

"...Not since I was 10," she admits and he rests her head on her hair. "I only have a day nurse during work and then I stay here with her...I managed to kick her down and by the time I got up, she had a knife in her hand...and she cut my arm. That's when I got the needle and used it on her. I was trying to clean it when you came."

"...Let me see," He tells her quietly and she shakes her head no. She didn't want him to be disgusted. "My lady, I can't help you unless you let me see. I'll be gentle, I promise."

Amy pauses, remembering his promise to her that he wouldn't tell anyone about her mother. Didn't that mean she could trust him if he kept it until she told the turtles not too long ago? She slowly removes her right arm and shows him. Leo gasps as he sees the long scar that was still bleeding. His eyes soften and he looks at her hair as she's crying silently.

"Where's your first aid kit?" He murmurs into her ear.

"No, please don't leave me," She sobs as she didn't want him to let go of her.

"I'd never leave you," He whispers, "But I have to fix your wound or else you'll lose a lot of blood. I need you to stay calm, okay? I won't leave unless you ask me to."

"Kay..." She murmurs and he slowly lets go of her so she won't freak out. Amy presses her body against the wall, pointing at a corner cabinet in the kitchen. "Over there."

Leo walks over to the cabinet as Amy slides to the ground slowly, running a hand through her hair. He opens the door, trying to find it as fast as he can before Amy could start panicking again. He spots a white box with the red cross and grabs it, speeding over to Amy. He bends down to her as she's clutching her arm. He immediately takes action and grabs a needle and string.

"No, no, no, no, no!" She starts crying again as soon as she sees it, thrashing around.

"Amy, Amy," He hugs her to calm her down. "I have to put stitches in. I can't have your injury opening up again."

Amy hugs him like her life would depend on it. "I don't want stitches..."

"I know, I know," He strokes her hair. "Do you trust me?"

Amy nods slowly. "Then let me help you."

She slowly holds out her arm and he focuses on the wound, piercing the needle through slowly. Amy yelps in pain and he cringes, not wanting to hurt her. He starts to work and Amy fidgets around nervously.

"Hey." Amy turns to look at him as he focuses on her eyes and not her arm. "It's alright, Ames. You'll be okay...just trust me."

Amy takes a deep breath as she lets it sink in, feeling him continue. She keeps her eyes squeezed shut so she doesn't have to look. Leo looks at her and he can't help but wonder why she called him and not Donnie. He's better at this than he was, and he's not the one who deals with injuries.

"...Why me?"

Amy opens her eyes, confused. "What?"

"Why did you call me? You could've called Donnie."

She looks away, breathing slowly as Leo finishes up with her arm. "Because I knew you'd care."

He pauses as he stares at her, and by her look, she looks serious. Silent, he places a bandage over her arm and examines her face. He doesn't know what to say. Out of all the things she could've said, she said that...and it completely threw him off, but still...she knew he cared about her. And that was the best answer he got.

"I need you to help me move her," Amy whispers as they look at the unconscious mother. Leo looks at her three other bruises.

"Not until you're all fixed up."

"Leo," She turns to look at him. "I'll let you help me if you can just help me carry her to her room. Please...she's my mom."

He sighs in defeat and nods, standing up. Leo bends down and helps her to her feet, Amy holding her head as she feels a little dizzy from all the blows she took. He guides her over slowly to the woman and lets go of her, grabbing the woman underneath her legs. Amy takes her by the shoulders.

"On three," Leo looks up at Amy. "One."

"...Two," She breathes heavily and he pauses for a minute.

"Ames..." He looks at her seriously. "Are you sure you can go through with this?"

Amy shudders as she nods slowly. "Sure, yeah, just...give me a second." She takes a deep breath as she hasn't had to do this in years.

"Two."

"Three." They lift her up slightly above the floor, carrying over slowly over to a door. Amy pushes it open, since it wasn't closed, and they place her slowly down onto the bed. Amy stares at her as she places a blanket over her mother. Leo senses she was uneasy and comes back around to her, hugging her from behind. Amy smiles a little, hugging his arm. He kisses her head wound to make it better.

* * *

After Amy is all patched up, she starts cleaning the mess around the kitchen. Leo lets out a sigh as he looks at it. Imagine if she didn't do what she did...she'd be gone. That...was something he couldn't handle facing should this happen again.

"Thank you for coming..." Amy says quietly as she throws the paper towels away.

"Of course! What kind of turtle would I be if I didn't help my lady?" He answers confidently and she can't help but giggle. "Are you...gonna be okay?"

"Hm? Yeah...that sedative knocks her out for the rest of the night. She's out like a light, so I'll be fine..."

"You sure?" He asks skeptically. "What about when she sees you next time, huh?"

"Leo," She closes her eyes with a tired sigh. "I can't tell you how many times I've heard that. I'm not here when she wakes up and she can't work in the bakery with me. She's not exactly great at customer service if she's screaming at me. I know what I'm doing..."

"But you'll be safer with us," He presses, as he's worried about her safety. "Why don't you just-"

"Can you just stop it?!" She yells at him, panting as he stares at her. "You think I need to hear this now?"

Leo closes his eyes and decides to drop it, because she was getting upset again and he didn't need that for her. She was right, she didn't need that kind of pressure and he should've kept his mouth shut. "Okay...I'll stop for now."

Amy steps forward and hugs his arm, making him smile at her attempt to cheer him up. "Will you...stay with me for tonight?" She murmurs quietly, putting a fist to her mouth. "I don't wanna be alone..." It was kind of adorable the way she was acting like a child. Usually, Amy was the most responsible one out of them, and the one who tried to bring them to their senses.

Leo takes her hand, smiling at her. "All night if you need me to."

Amy slowly smiles back. She leads him to her room and shuts the door. Leo looks around as her room looked like a room she would live in. She walks across the carpet and sits down on her bed, Leo joining her as he registers the fact that he's in Amy's room. He's never been in a girl room, much less his lady's. Leo slides in next to her, grateful that Chewbacon was a sound sleeper. Amy pulls out her pink tablet and they start watching funny videos, laughing at some moments. Leo could admit, he was really enjoying spending time with her.

Hours later, it's almost 6. Leo yawns and sees Amy fast asleep. He moves so that he can look at her. She's clutching her pillow, cheek rested on the soft material. He reaches out and lightly touches her bang so that he doesn't wake her. He leans in and lightly kisses the bandage around her head, resting himself on her other pillow. "Goodnight, my lady."

Amy hums in response and he chuckles, as she's really sleepy. Guess she wasn't going to work later.

Not that she cared. All she needed was a good rest, and a friend to help her get through this...


	16. Mrs Cuddles

**Angel: Hey guys! I found the episode around 2 pm, but I was having trouble with the website I was using. And I literally just got back from Coldstone...love that place, they have this oreo creme filling that I get all the time.**

 **Anyway, there's a subtle reference here to two previous characters here :3 Don't know if I'll actually use them, though. Time will tell. And Amy's not really being abused, per se. It's only because of her mother's condition that she attacks Amy. It's mentally affecting her to the point where she'll attack someone who looks like a family member to her. So yeah, not abuse. I think Amy's been through enough already at this point for it to be abuse to other people.**

 **And there actually is a reason why Brit wants the bakery, but I can't spoil it just yet.**

 **MPN, that poem is awesome XD Though, I didn't put that many Leonamy moments in here, sorry ^^'**

 **And no, Baxter Stockboy is not the one who wants Amy's bakery. Brit and Baxter are two different people, and they don't look anything alike. Brit just wants the store for a secret, unknown reason. Baxter Stockboy just wants to get money. It really goes down to jealousy rather than Amy's bakery. Stockboy knows about her bakery, since she does videos there sometimes, but his parents have a supermarket, so I'd imagine they'd have something related to a bakery like some supermarkets would.**

The turtles, Amy, April, and Splinter are all watching TV together, since there's a commercial. They're watching April on TV for her new job to support her. But there was one thing she forgot to mention to Raph specifically that he was about to find out for himself...

"Congrats on the acting job, April!" Raph exclaims, "I'm so happy for you, I could punch a rainbow!"

Amy is handing out blueberry pie to everyone that she made herself. It has a flaky golden crust on top and bottom, with the blueberries seen under the crust. Instead of her white t-shirt and green jacket, she's wearing a long-sleeved green sweater that's made out of cotton. It covers up her arms. She's holding a bowl of whipped cream and places a dollop on top of Leo's slice.

"This pie is looking _sweet,_ my lady," Leo winks at her and she rolls her eyes playfully. She'll give him that one...just this once. She holds the whisk and pokes him in the nose with it, leaving some whipped cream on him. "Hey!"

"There's your sweetness right there," She smirks as he takes a towel and wipes himself off with it, grinning smugly.

"It's just a tiny, basic cable show," April waves it off, looking away with a smug look. Amy hands her a slice of pie.

"Mm, not so tiny. It knocked Scorpion Treadmill out of its time slot," Splinter mutters bitterly.

"Oh come on, Splinter," Amy stands next to him. "I made you blueberry pie~"

"Now I feel complete," He smiles as he closes his eyes, taking the slice from Amy.

"Say," Leo rubs Raph's left shoulder. "How'd you sit in the front row, Raph?"

"Okay!" He agrees without a second thought, April chuckling as she nudges Amy knowingly. She bites her lip to contain her laughter. Raph sits in front of everyone as Amy gives two slices of pie away, one for Donnie and one for Mikey. She holds the last slice, decorating it with the whipped cream. Everyone takes a bite in unison, everyone except Amy humming in delight.

"Omigod. It's like a blueberry paradise in my mouth..." Mikey sighs in content. Raph chuckles at Amy.

"One of these days, you'll kill us with how awesome your desserts are," He comments and Amy scoffs.

"I've heard that plenty of times and every customer comes back alive with more money, but the compliments to the baker, who was that? Oh right, me," Amy grins at them. "Are appreciated."

"Hi kids," April appears on screen dressed as a bunny. "It's time for the Laffy Fun Time Hour with Mrs. Cuddles!" April moves back from the rainbow and meadow scenery, gesturing to a stuffed rabbit surrounded by a chicken, carrots, and eggs. Mrs. Cuddles has a dark blue body, a light blue muzzle and belly and a white cotton-ball tail. She also has rainbow-printed floppy ears, buck teeth, large eyes with black pupils, thick eyelashes and a red nose. Mrs. Cuddles also wears a yellow bow on the top of her head.

Raph's eyes widen as he looks at the rabbit doll. "Let's be friends forever!"

"What?" Raph shakes in fear as he looks at the bunny in the eyes. Those beady, little eyes that are haunting him at this moment. Mrs. Cuddles winks at the camera and his eyes twitch as in his mind, a carrot breaks in half. Raph lets out a scream and dives behind Splinter's armchair. "No! Not Mrs. Cuddles!"

While he's in terror, the others are smiling except Amy, who's hiding her mouth behind her fist. His brothers let out a laugh at him. That's right, Raph is scared of Mrs. Cuddles, and they knew she was coming on to show Amy that he really was scared of her.

"Hey, you guys know I can't watch this!" He protests.

"Is my acting that bad?" April looks down at him smugly.

"No, no, no!" He denies, shaking his head. He wanted to support April, he really did. "It ain't you, April. It's-"

Mrs. Cuddles is tilted at the screen. "Let's be friends!" She exclaims, to which Raph screams for the second time. He runs and crashes against the wall. Sliding onto the floor, he lands roughly, looking up at the ceiling. Even Splinter is laughing at him, looking away from the TV for once.

"Raph's fear flops make me laugh everytime!" He continues laughing, Raph growling at the fact that his friends and family are scaring him for laughs. "Oh, red one."

"What?" Raph demands as he stands over Leo, Amy, and Splinter. "You think I'm afraid of Mrs. Cuddles? Uh, um, I'm just upset about something else which I'll think of what that is later. Mellie believes me, right?"

He stares at Amy, who's shaking, snorting as she covers her eyes. She finally lets out a laugh, bending over to her knees. Leo looks surprised as he's never heard her laugh like this. Amy lifts her head up, still laughing as the others grin.

"I'm sorry, Raph, but you're telling me," Amy takes a breath, "That you're afraid of a TV show bunny?!" She continues laughing, standing up and walking over to the ramp, her laughter still being heard. "Cripes, I haven't laughed like this for a few years. Oh, man," She lets out a breath, bending over the ramp.

"I'll forgive you if you make me more pie," Raph grumbles, crossing his arms.

"I don't care, it's worth it!" She cries out, giggling.

"Be nice, guys," April tells them, glancing at the projector screen. "You know, I bet a sandwich would make you feel better, Raph." Mrs. Cuddles appears on screen behind her and he yelps, immediately running to the kitchen. Amy's laughter echoes throughout the lair and Leo walks up to her. She's sitting near the railing, wiping away her tears from the laughing.

"Are you okay?" He chuckles and she nods, stifling another laugh.

"I can't stop," She covers her mouth as she laughs again, Leo holding up his hands like he agreed with her.

Raph opens the pantry as he can still hear Amy. "Wish I had sandwiches for brothers. Be better than those jerks." He grabs a pack of bread, his eye twitching as he glances at the entrance to the kitchen. "Would ya stop laughing?!"

"Heck no!" Amy calls out, giggling. "Stop complaining, you're already getting a pie since you're afraid of a BUNNY!" She continues with her ongoing laughter and Leo laughs at her, getting out a water bottle for when she would stop, if that was possible right now.

"I like seeing you laugh," Leo admits as he hands her the water. "It makes you look...different. A good different."

Amy chuckles slightly as she accepts the drink. "Everyone's different, Leo." She takes a sip. "But you're a good different too..."

They smile at each other fondly and Leo glances over to her arm. He knew and understood the real reason why she wore that sweater...

"Can I see it?" He asks her and Amy fidgets a little. She hadn't moved it that much so she could put less pressure on it, so she didn't know how it would look...would it look disgusting? Would he be disgusted by her?

Wait, why does she care what Leo thinks? Sure, he was her friend, but most of the time, Amy could care less about what people had to say. For some reason, she valued Leo's opinion all of a sudden.

"Sure..." She lifts up her sleeve slowly as the bandage has a little blood on it. "I haven't touched it since then."

"Good. Make sure to put as little pressure on it as possible. I know you won't stop working for a few days, so I'm not going to ask you to."

Amy looks at him in surprise that he wasn't going to prevent her from working. But actually, on the inside, she feels grateful that he supported her in that decision.

"Thanks Leo...for everything," She smiles at him and he sits down next to her.

"Of course. I can't leave my lady in peril," He gestures to himself and she rolls her eyes slightly, looking away with a smile. She's gotten accustomed to all the nicknames, but 'my lady' was her favorite. It just...touched her in a way that she's never felt before.

"Okay, sure, I'm a little jumpy," He says to himself as he prepares his sandwich. "But afraid? Raph don't do afraid. He opens another cabinet, only for Mrs. Cuddles to jump out of it and he lets out a scream. "IT'S IN THE LAIR!"

He lands against the pot rack, three pots landing on his head and at least six spoons landing on top of them. He growls as he throws them off, a soup ladle landing on his head. The others join him, laughing.

"Oh, I'm enjoying this," Donnie comments in laughter.

"The guys tell us girls Mrs. Cuddles totally freaks ya out," April starts off, gesturing to Amy. "And she didn't believe them. So I brought her over in the trunk for a sweet prank," She jerks her head at a trunk that she had brought with her.

"Oh, trust me, I believe it now," Amy giggles, placing a hand on Mikey's shoulder. "Oh, thanks, guys. You really made me laugh today in this beautiful moment."

"Anything for our new best friend," Mikey winks at her. Amy snickers as she shoves Mrs. Cuddles in Raph's face, making him freak out. She leans against the sink, not noticing a lightning bolt from her hand hitting the faucet. It suddenly sprays water on her and she shrieks.

"Ah, ah, ah! Oh god!" It stops and she's soaking wet, annoyed.

"Hey, no hard feelings, okay, big brother?" Donnie teases, holding the stuffed rabbit. "Let's be friends forever," He waves it in front of Raph, laughing.

"Oh, good one. Making my heart almost explode." Raph chuckles nervously as he stands up, holding his chest. "For the record, these are tears of laughter," He points to his teary eyes, but really, they're tears of utter fear. "I'm laughing at you."

"These," Amy points to her red eyes, "Are tears of laughter. Those," She points to him, "Are not." He looks at Mrs. Cuddles, who is hanging from a string. He tries to gather up some bravery.

"You got this, Raph," He encourages himself. "Forget about her evil eyes, and those...floppy ears that always taunt you." He looks away to continue making his sandwich, gasping in horror as he sees that Mrs. Cuddles is gone from her spot. "Hey, where'd she go?"

He gasps sharply as the bread for his sandwich is gone. He grits his teeth nervously, glancing over to the other counter, where a finished sandwich and Mrs. Cuddles sit. "Heh, I must've put it there..." He examines the rabbit. "Yeah," He snatches the sandwich before something else could happen. He takes a bite, humming in delight, but gets a bad feeling. He slowly turns around and sees the rabbit has come to life, holding a pickle.

"Who wants a pickle wickle?!"

Raph falls onto the floor in shock. "It's alive!" He cries out, dropping his sandwich. He doesn't even care as he screams. Mrs. Cuddles suddenly grows larger. "And getting bigger!"

"Howdy hi, big screamer! Usually I hear giggles all day," She smiles, "But what I love is screams!" She holds her hands as she looks delighted. "Make me grow, and grow, and grow!"

He screams as he stands up. "YOU GUYS! Mrs. Cuddles is real!" He points at the doll, his brothers and friends peeking into the kitchen.

"Scaredy pants say wha?" Leo asks innocently, Amy bending over and laughing again.

"I'm sorry," She lets out a laugh. "It's just so funny..."

"What?" Raph asks in disbelief. "Okay, fine, you were right. I'm afraid of Mrs. Cuddles. But it turns out she's really real!" He points at the rabbit and Amy stands up, shaking her head.

"Okay, we get it, we took the joke too far," April waves it off as to them, Mrs. Cuddles is perfectly fine.

Raph lets out a sigh as they don't believe him. "Watch!" He slams down a fist in front of the rabbit doll, which does not move. "Okay, demon, reveal yourself!" Mrs. Cuddles falls down onto the table, confusing Raph. April and Donnie walk away, not bothering to listen to anymore.

"When you're ready to grow up and be an adult, Raphael," Mikey says pointedly. "We'll be in the arcade."

"At first it was hilarious, but now you're being ridiculous," Amy walks away behind Leo and Mikey.

"Guys, don't leave me alone with her!" He calls out, but they're already gone. "It's only a bunny. You can do this. Just show her you're not afraid of her," He whimpers as he looks at the counter, only for Mrs. Cuddles to not be there again. He starts quivering and screams, leaving the kitchen.

"That bunny on every show," Splinter complains as he switches the channels, but all he sees is Mrs. Cuddles. He already hated her. "And commercial. Come on, who buys an SUV from a bunny?!"

Raph slides in front of him, blocking his view. "Have you seen Mrs. Cuddles?! She's vanished! She's out there just waiting to pounce!" He sees Mrs. Cuddles on the TV screen and screams in fear, taking off into a run. "Save yourself!"

"I will never marry any of them off," Splinter says in dismay. "Except maybe blue one. Perhaps I should find two girls...maybe named Ann and Lily? ...Nah." He goes back to switching the channels.

Leo and Mikey are playing air hockey against each other, Mikey cheering as he gets a point. Amy and April are battling each other in Dance Dance Revolution when Raph lands on the air hockey table.

"I can't find Mrs. Cuddles!" He panics in fear rather than concern for April's job.

"You lost the puppet?" April questions slowly. "Oh man, I am so fired. I'll check the kitchen," She runs off to go search.

"If you're gonna go, take a bat! Or the Turtle Tank! Hey! And don't scream!" Raph calls out after her.

"We are not using the Turtle Tank in the lair, Raph!" Amy warns him.

April opens the pantry doors to where she had left Mrs. Cuddles for the prank. She peeks around, but doesn't find the doll, closing the double doors. She sighs in worry.

"How could you lose Cuddles, April?" She moves around spices, throwing them to the floor. She checks other cabinets and then the shelves, but nothing. She places a hand on her hair in frustration.

"Hey, I know you from work!"

"Not funny, Raph," April deadpans, thinking that it's Raph impersonating Mrs. Cuddles to get back at her. "That is the worst Cuddles impression I have ever heard." She looks down and sees the rabbit. "Hey, there you are!"

Mrs. Cuddles giggles, winking at her. April screams and as expected, the rabbit grows bigger, towering over her.

"Ah," Donnie sighs in his lab. "Which project to work on? Self-cleaning toothpick," He looks at a toothpick that has arms, cleaning itself. "Amy's bike so that she can control her powers?" He glances at Amy's bike in the corner, which Amy had used to get herself to the lair. "Or the titanium bust of myself?" A bust of Donnie sits in front of him, shimmering.

"Like I need to ask. Huh?" He looks surprised to see Mrs. Cuddles right next to the bust of himself, not noticing she's gotten larger. "Oh dear me, gasp," He says sarcastically, "It is Mrs. Cuddles. Nice try, Raph, come on out."

"No Raphie," He looks at the talking rabbit in shock. "Just little ol' me!"

His eyes twitch. "Oh my banana pancakes!" He falls down onto the ground, holding the bust of himself. He hugs it as he sits up. "Ah, I don't know what's crazier, the talking puppet or Raph actually being right about something."

Mrs. Cuddles giggles at him. "You're kooky. Give me a scream!"

"A scream? But you're so cute," He says in confusion, Mrs. Cuddles glancing at his staff. "Why would you-" He stammers nervously as she grabs his staff and it turns into a chainsaw. She swings it and he screams, hearing a slice. The head for his bust falls off and he screams, running away from her. As a result, Mrs. Cuddles gets bigger.

"Thank you for my scream~!" She calls out.

Raph peeks under something when he hears something. "Help, help! Help, help!"

"Donnie!" He shakes as he peeks into Donnie's lab. "Really really hope this is another prank, Donnie," He murmurs as he tiptoes. His foot hits something and he looks down to see Donnie's head. Well, the bust head, anyway. Raph screams in fear, "Donnie!" He lets out a sigh of relief as he sees it's not actually his brother. "It's just Donnie's head."

"Penny for your thoughts, Raphie!" He turns around to see Mrs. Cuddles, whose height is half of Donnie's door.

"Where's Donnie?" He asks, sweating.

"In a happy place where he'll scream and I can grow forever," her eyes are red, which is not helping Raph's fear at all. "And now you're gonna join him!" She leaps into the air and he jumps out of the way. As she attacks, Raph dodges her attempts, rolling on the floor as he screams, narrowly avoiding her swings. While he's running, his foot hits Donnie's titanium head, making him fall onto the floor. His holds his foot, with a large red bump on his big toe. He blows on it, looking up to see Mrs. Cuddles jumping towards him. He grabs the chainsaw, trying to push it away from his face. He glances at the head near him and reaches out to it, attempting to grab it. The chainsaw is this close to his face, but he manages to grab the head and hit Mrs. Cuddles in the head with it, knocking her off him. He pants slowly, looking at the head.

"Thanks, Donnie's head," He throws it away and stands up, looking over the non-moving puppet.

"You're such a meanie," She stands up slowly.

"No!" He tackles her to the ground and holds her by the ears, giving a sound of disgust. "You feel so oogy!"

"No, no!" The puck flies through Leo's side and he growls in defeat. He then sees Raph moving Mrs. Cuddles past him, with Mikey gaining another point due to the distraction. "Hey!" He glares at Mikey for the unfairness.

"Hey, you weren't paying attention, so it's fair and square," Amy looks up at him as she's standing near him, working on something from her portable work station.

"You're doing work?" Leo scoffs at her in disbelief.

"Time is money," She tells him. "It's only one order I didn't finish yet."

"Touche."

"Now to lock you up till I figure out how to shrink you and get you back in your trunk." He throws her into a storage locker. Raph takes some items, the others staring at him as he barricades the locker from the outside. "No, no, no, way stronger than Kong! She'd demolish Kong!" He stands in front of the largest items he could find, looking around in panic.

"Wow, we really broke this poor guy," Leo says to Amy and Mikey as they stare. "Wanna skateboard?" He grins at them.

"I'll be in the kitchen," Amy locks up her portable work station by pushing a button. It transforms back into a briefcase, with the pastry safely in a box.

"Oh come on, Ames, you can stop for an hour," Leo places an arm around her.

"When you work at a bakery from 8 in the morning to 9 at night," She starts off, "Come back to me."

Mikey leans into her ear and says something, Amy groaning to herself as she walks past them to the ramp. "What'd you say to her?" Leo wonders.

"Nothing. I just sung, 'Come on, Amy, let's go party,' and she agreed," Mikey smiles, Leo following after him. Splinter walks up to Raph.

"I left my napping robe in here when I was playing Zombie Unicorn," he states.

"Sorry Pop, there's a great evil that I'm protecting us from," Raph says seriously.

"Why didn't you say so, red one?" He jerks a thumb to himself. "I'll guard the door while you grab the weapons."

"Great idea!" Raph exclaims, not knowing that Splinter had tricked him. He runs off and Splinter pushes past the barricade, opening the locker and grabbing the robe. He doesn't notice a pair of red eyes staring at him as he walks away. Mrs. Cuddles giggles, narrowing her red eyes.

"It's gonna be okay, Raphie," Raph tries to assure himself as he has more stuff in his hands. "There's no way that bunny could-" He drops the items in shock to see that Mrs. Cuddles is out. "Get out..."

"I'll be right back, guys, gotta find some cinnamon," Amy walks away.

"Woohoo!" Mikey cheers as he skateboards into the air. "Yeah!" He skates down the ramp and lands at the other side, screaming and landing on the ground as he saw something. He looks behind Leo and whimpers, Leo slowly turning around to see Mrs. Cuddles.

"You're real?!" He exclaims in shock and Amy comes back with a container.

"I found it! Wow, you guys have a lot of-" she stammers as her hand shakes, slowly dropping the cinnamon on the floor. "What the-?!"

"I hope you all scream as well as the red one," Her head tilts and they all scream as she giggles. She flips and lands in front of the two brothers, who are holding each other. Amy is waving a wooden spoon in fear, even though that's not an actual weapon. She grows even bigger, almost reaching the ceiling of the lair in comparison. Amy slowly backs away as Mikey keeps screaming. Then there's black.

"So when she kept growing, that wasn't a clue to stop screaming?" Leo asks Mikey. The two are tied up along with Donnie and April.

"Sorry, but hopefully Raph and Amy heard me."

"Astronauts heard you!" Leo retorts to him.

In space, Mikey's screams could be heard.

"Why can't we just scream for help now?" April wonders before remembering that if they scream, she gets bigger. "Oh. Right. We scream, she grows, not smart, got it."

"I'm starting to think this prank was a bad idea," Mikey comments, Leo glaring at him. It was, after all, Mikey's idea.

Raph is shaking as he steps out of the arcade, Amy looking around below him. She ended up not getting captured because she jumped out of the way.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot, but...please don't hurt me," Raph pleads, jumping and landing behind Amy. She's about to scream, but covers her mouth, turning around to him.

"Don't ever do that again," She warns him and he looks around, quivering.

"Found you, you silly billies!" They turn around to see Mrs. Cuddles, who grins widely at them.

"You...you're huge!" Raph exclaims, Amy's eyes twitching.

"This...is my new nightmare fuel," She bites her lip.

"Uh, I see you met Mikey," Raph guesses, as Mikey is scared easily. "Wait, where is everyone?" He looks around, Mrs. Cuddles laughing.

"Don't you worry about them."

"What?" Amy demands as she worries about Leo's safety. "What did you do to him?!"

"Him?" Raph asks in confusion.

"I-I mean them!"

"Look, sure, you scared me at first. But now," Raph narrows his eyes, "I see you're nothing but an average everyday ginormous bully. And Raph ain't afraid of bullies!"

"We'll see about that," She swings her arm, the two friends jumping over them. "Uh oh." She hits them with her butt, Raph crashes against the ramp, Amy crashing into him. She slides down the ramp slowly. Mrs. Cuddles lands on top of the ramp. Raph tries to run up it, but he doesn't have enough momentum. Mrs. Cuddles swings her ears, breaking a pipe. She laughs as she sprays the two of them with water. Raph loses his balance and flies into the air, landing against a basketball hoop. He gets tangled up in it, Splinter standing nearby as he laughs. Amy stares up at him.

"Look at you, red! And you, Amy!" He points to Amy as she's wet again.

"No giggles! I hate giggles! Stop giggling!" Mrs. Cuddles yells, firing more water. Splinter laughs as he jumps over it, landing on top of Raph.

"No one roughs up my family. Or interrupt my TV regime. You made a powerful enemy, rabbit," He narrows his eyes at her and she jumps, landing right next to him. She swings her ears and Splinter leaps over them. She grabs his foot and throws him into the wall. He recovers, however, and pushes himself over, spinning around and hitting her in the stomach. He kicks her so that she goes falling, crashing into Raph and making him get her cotton ball in his mouth.

"Ow!" He spits out the cotton, wiping his tongue. "Why?!"

"Ohh, someone has a case of cotton mouth!" Splinter jokes, laughing. Amy snickers along with him. She starts shrinking, holding her head. Raph notices it.

"Wait! She's getting smaller!"

"Stop. You're just like those kids on my show! Their giggles steal my power!" She screams as she jumps towards Splinter and Raph, Amy spinning around and kicking her. Raph holds a skateboard as he blocks her attacks.

"Keep at it, Pops," Raph encourages. "The laughing shrinks her!"

"How can I laugh when that bunny is so ferocious?" Nevertheless, he laughs anyway. "I'm sorry, I couldn't say that with a straight face."

"I'm with ya, Splinter," Amy smiles, "I'm with ya." They both laugh and Raph smacks Mrs. Cuddles with the skateboard. She crashes against the skate ramp, landing in front of the three.

"Oh, just don't put me back in my trunk and send me back to the kids!"

Raph chuckles as they tower over her. "Hey, that's a great idea. So great I wanna scream about how great it is." Splinter hits him over the head, Amy smacking him on the arm. "But I won't." He grabs Mrs. Cuddles and throws her into the trunk, Amy locking it.

"So long, pal! Let's be friends for never!" They all laugh at his joke.

"Good one."

"For never."

"Guuuuys!" Leo calls out.

"Anybody there?"

"Somebody untie us!"

"I'm afraid of together."

Splinter chuckles at Raph, who wanted a little payback for the pranks and teasing. "We will get right to that...eventually." He laughs at this and Amy rolls her eyes.

"Eventually my butt. I'll go let them out," She walks away.

"Do I still get my pie?!" Raph calls out after her.


	17. Stuck on You

**Angel: Hi guys! I've officially changed the order, but if Nick changes things around again, don't say I didn't warn you guys if the update date changes and there's nothing new there.**

 **Also, I'm going to change it so that (spoiler) the object that Brit wants from Amy is a helmet. Which one, you ask? Well, if you think about it, you may already know. Anyway, that's what's going to happen and then it'll be a permanent order since the Al Be Back episode is after this one.**

 **Sorry this is late, I was baking a cake with my aunt when I was almost done with this.**

A lightbulb is flashing as something is going on in Amy's bakery. The lights flicker onto the windows as her tools sit on the counter.

"My inventions were meant to do good! Not evil!" Donnie exclaims as a large shadow looms over Chewbacon. His eyes widen and he squeals, running over to the loft door and pawing at it. Mikey's foot steps onto the floor.

"What have you done to my body? My perfect body!" Leo whines as Raph's hand touches the counter and knocks over the tablet. Turning around, the five finally reveal themselves...but now they're all stuck together like a ball, with glue all holding it together. Amy's head is in between all four turtles, with her hair in pigtails. Mikey's head is above Leo's, with Donnie's above Raph's. Raph and Leo each have one arm, while Donnie and Mikey each have one leg. They look like some kind of deformed monster. They fall onto the ground.

"Why did you do this, Raph?" Mikey demands as Leo is frowning.

"You know, even for you, this feels like a poorly thought through idea."

Leo and Amy gasp at themselves as they look at the window.

"Is this what it feels like to have a dad bod?" Leo asks in dismay.

"No, no, no, no, no...!" Amy cries out as she looks at the ground. "Raph, I am supposed to deliver that cake," She looks at the counter and they glance over to see a five-tier wedding cake, "To the bride and groom soon! When I said you could try out this invention of yours, I didn't mean to do this to me!"

"Calm down," Raph tells them as they stand up, Leo's hand over his face. "This is gonna be awesome! Being stuck together is gonna force us to work together, as a team!" Raph suggested that they turn into...this, for a team building exercise. He knew that they can manage well on their own, but think about how better they could be if they worked as a team. Teamwork prevails all. They struggle to keep their balance.

"This is a team-building exercise?" Leo asks in disbelief.

"Oh yeah, sure, because being glued together and looking like Frankenstein is gonna equal teamwork," Amy deadpans, "We'll go with that."

"How are we gonna get unglued?" Donnie questions in anger.

"Relax, I'm sure you have a formula to get us unstuck, Donnie," Raph waves it off.

"Actually, I do not have a formula. My FAB spray is still in beta," Donnie explains, frowning.

"FAB?" Leo wonders.

"F-A-B. Foam agent bonding. It's state of the art," While Donnie is explaining, Leo scoffs, turning around.

"Not this again. You see, Raph, usually when Donnie is in speech mode, I could just run away, but now," Leo laughs nervously. "I'm stuck."

"Well stuck or not, I am finishing this cake if it kills me," Amy glances at the cake on the counter. "So thanks to someone," Amy glances down at Raph before sighing. "You guys are gonna have to help me..."

They all cheer, but Amy looks dismayed. She prefers to do big jobs like this one on her own. Not that she didn't trust them, but...it was the turtles. Donnie would try to jazz it up with an invention, Mikey would be touching everything, Leo was more or less a lost cause since he's usually watching, not listening, and Raph would try to eat it.

"This is just the kind of teamwork warm-up we need!" Raph cheers, everyone glaring at him.

"Okay..." Amy sighs, looking down. "Donnie and Mikey, baby steps." Mikey only steps forward, making all of them trip. Leo holds onto the counter and Amy cringes before sighing in relief that the cake was okay. "I said Donnie AND Mikey. What happened?!"

"I thought we were gonna count to three or at least give me some kind of warning!" Donnie exclaims and Amy closes her eyes, shaking her head.

"Fine, if it makes you move faster. Come on, I have to get this done by tomorrow. Donnie and Mikey, move on 1, 2, 3!" They move slowly, due to all the weight, but they make it to behind the counter. Leo had to admire her dedication. Even when she can't use her arms or legs, she still wanted to get her work done.

"Okay, now what?" Raph looks up at Amy.

"Leo, since you're the closest, reach down and grab that jar," Amy nods her head at a jar on the ground. It's filled with little white chocolate spheres. "That's the decorations for the sashes," Amy tilts her head at the frosting on the cake. "Don't just dump them on there, you have to place them all one by one."

"Aw man, that'll take forever," Leo complains and Amy glares at him. "I mean, I'll do it since you're my lady!"

He grabs the jar, but since he can't open it with one hand, he holds it out to Raph. Raph stares at it, not knowing what to do. Amy frowns at the fact that he can't figure out how to open it. "Raph, lift your hand." He does it. "Now just put it on the lid." Raph's hand goes down on the counter. "No the lid." Then he touches the tools near him. "The lid." Raph smacks his hand on Amy's face. " _Oh my god. The lid_." While she's repeating those two words, Raph's hand flies all around and she says it rapidly.

"FREEZE!" Everyone else shouts and Raph pants as his hand is finally touching the jar.

"Unbelievable," Amy mutters that he can't open a simple jar per instruction.

"Dude, just open it," Mikey deadpans.

"I don't do this kind of work! I don't know what to do!" Raph exclaims at them in defense.

"Move your hand," Amy tells him and he moves it down. "No, up." He moves it down further. "Up means the other direction, fool!"

"Don't pressure me!" Raph yells and he moves it up.

"Okay, now move it up again." He's doing so slowly she wants to slap him. "Raph, it's literally right there."

He finally gets to the lid and opens it. "Oh thank goodness," Amy murmurs before her security alarm beeps.

"Donnie detection. Crime is in progress. Donnie detection."

"Yes! A mission! It's go time!" Raph pumps his fist, dropping the jar to Amy's dismay as it breaks.

"You installed a crime detector in my system?" Amy wonders, turning to Donnie.

"For precaution," Donnie grins knowingly, but they're on the ground and the four turtles try to move.

"Stop!" Raph exclaims. "We need to work as a team to get to Amy's system. Mikey, step."

Mikey slowly gets his leg up. "Donnie, step." Slowly, they all stand up. "There we go. At least I do it better," He glances at Amy and she rolls her eyes. "Teamwork!" They get to the system on the wall and a computer emerges to show that they need a password. Donnie gasps in horror, looking away.

"Amy, what's the password?" Raph wonders.

"...Um."

"You don't know it?!" Mikey exclaims in disbelief.

"I wrote it down, but I don't remember where I put that thing..." Amy murmurs and Leo looks down.

"I think I know." Chewbacon is using the paper as his bathroom. He looks up at them and slides the paper around.

"Freakin' gross," Amy deadpans and since they didn't wanna pick it up, Donnie was their last resort. Donnie is sweating. "Donnie, since you wrote it, tell us what it is."

"I am not telling you that. Just let me enter it," Donnie cringes, Raph and Leo looking up at him.

"How? You don't have any hands," Leo points out.

"Try I love my family," Mikey suggests and Amy snorts. Raph enters it, but it's incorrect. Donnie is sweating even more. "Try I love my brothers." Like last time, it's incorrect.

"Stop!" Donnie exclaims. "It's not that. It's...it's bootyshaker9000." Raph and Mikey are trying not to laugh as Amy and Leo smile. "Capital b and three ys." His brothers laugh and he glares at them. "What? You know I love to dance. Not gonna apologize for that."

"Hey, I'm all for it, Donnie. Maybe you could teach me some moves." Amy smirks slightly. "Bootyshaker." The four all laugh and he grunts, gritting his teeth.

"Not cool, Amy. Not cool!" Donnie exclaims.

"Hey, note to you, don't put that in my system as my own password," Amy tells him.

"I created it, so it makes sense!"

The computer then shows a museum. "Someone's breaking into the Museum of Art and Framing!" Raph exclaims as Mikey gasps.

"Ooo, art thieves!"

"Classeh~" Leo comments, but then he notices Amy's sad look. He glances at the broken jar and then realizes that she's sad because she won't get to finish it. "Um, don't cry, my lady," He says nervously, "You can just make more."

"But I had to order those and it took weeks...it'll take forever to get them back and the cake is due tomorrow." She sniffles and Raph cringes since he didn't mean to drop it.

"Um, um," Donnie stammers, "I know! I'll invent a machine that can make more."

"...Really?" Amy murmurs quietly.

"Of course! Anything for you!" Donnie tells her and Leo moves his arm so he can wipe Amy's eyes. She smiles and the turtles sigh in relief. Sometimes, her sadness turns into anger, and the last time that happened, the lair was trashed.

"Let's move!" They try to, but they all fall onto the ground. "To the Turtle Tank!" Raph points up in the air dramatically. They jump to the door to the vehicle outside the bakery, but the ball is too big for them to fit through. Amy finds her face squished between the turtles.

"Okay, this is too personal for me," Amy murmurs, but it wasn't like she could do anything about it. They try again, but get the same result.

"Everybody, suck in." They all take a breath, but they're simply too big to fit through, falling onto the ground. The door closes and they all think about how to get to the museum.

"Mellie, where's your bike?" Raph wonders and her eyes widen.

"No way! My bike can't support all that weight on one seat," Amy denies.

"It could if you press the right button," Donnie looks down at her. Amy looks around nervously before Donnie realizes something. "It's stuck in your pocket, isn't it?"

"Yeah..."

"Let's use the Shell Hogs!" Donnie suggests, with the others cheering yes.

"What's a Shell Hog?" The four ask in confusion and Donnie sighs.

"Did none of you read the tank's instruction manual I gave you?" He looks at them and they all look away, as they used their shredder to shred the manual.

"How does it handle so much paper?"

"It's on my to-do list," Raph fibs and Donnie sighs.

"Just push that button on the side." Raph reaches out and pushes it, with the Turtle Tank's wheels separating and turning into motorcycles.

"Awesome!" Amy, Leo, Raph, and Mikey cheer. They look in awe while Donnie is smirking at his work.

"Why are there only two?" Raph wonders.

"I'm afraid I have not gotten around to making the rest. Maybe they'll come out during the holiday season, so you know they're special," Donnie states.

"Donnie, these are amazing," Leo looks up at his brother, who's smiling softly. "And I know everything I say sounds sarcastic, but I'm being completely genuine...this time." He winks at Amy and she rolls her eyes. Sometimes he showed his genuine side to her also, but only when the two were alone.

"Let's ride," Raph declares and Donnie revs up the bike with his foot. The bike starts up...but then falls to the side.

* * *

Realizing that they can't ride it on their own, they instead use both bikes, one on each side. "We can make this work and stop those art thieves. We'll be the perfect team!"

"Wait, so if we have an arm," Leo glances at Raph, "And you two have a leg," He looks up at Donnie and Mikey. "Then what does pink-a-boo have?"

"Is that really important? We're still stuck either way," Amy looks down at him.

"I'm just curious!" Mikey looks around before he sees something.

"Hey, whose flat butt is that?" Amy's eyes widen in horror.

"Well, judging by the skirt, it's Amy's! Man, is that thing flat!" Donnie exclaims.

"Hey, my butt is not flat. You don't have to keep saying it," Amy growls up at them, but the turtles laugh anyway. Amy whips her head so that her pigtails smack them all across the face.

"Ow!"

They drive right past the museum, crashing. They roll away from the explosion and walk to the entrance, sneaking inside before they fall again. "Everyone, keep your eyes open," Raph warns them. "Let me know if you see anything suspicious."

They roll slowly before Leo and Mikey notice something. "I saw something move," They both say in unison. "Over on the left/right! No, this way!"

"Great plan, Raph. Now instead of being able to investigate two leads, we are stuck together!" Donnie exclaims and Raph shushes them.

"No, this is what teamwork is," He looks at his hand which has writing on it. "We put aside our individual goals to do what's best for the team."

"Why do you sound like you're reading?" Donnie wonders.

"Let's follow Mikey's lead first," Raph points to the right, with Donnie and Leo whining.

"Oh shut up, we don't have much a choice," Amy tells the two. Raph moves his arm so that they're crawling and then they're walking.

"Careful, don't break anything," Raph warns them and they slip, but Donnie's leg manages to stop them. They wobble over to a bust, before they bump into one from behind.

"Oh no."

"No, no, no, no, no!" Raph and Leo catch it, all of them sighing in relief. They place it back and remove their hands, turning around and bumping into it.

"Oh!"

"Aw!" They break all of the statues around them, Amy dropping her head with a groan. Her pigtails are resting between Raph and Leo. Leo glances at it as he can smell the strawberry shampoo, and turns his attention back to the mutant silverfish.

"Mutant silverfish? They're into art?"

They're not really doing much of anything besides eating cupcakes and a piece of chocolate cake. "What-HEY! That's from my store!" Amy exclaims in anger. "How'd they get their filthy hands on them?!"

"This should be easy. Turtle FAB, attack!" Raph declares, pointing at them, but a purple mist appears at the railing above them. It's Hypnopotamus again.

"Flawless entry. Now to-" He then notices the turtles and Amy. "Oh, what happened to you lot? Did some creepy doctor man chop you into tiny bits and-and then sew you back together?"

"What, no! It's team-building," Raph calls out.

"Ah yes, team-building," Hypno holds up a finger. "My former hippo assistant, Doug, and I used to love to team-build."

"I'm giving you one to get out of here before-" A purple portal emerges behind them. Foot Lieutenant and Foot Brute emerge from it, along with Brit Worley? He's in his mutant form and they all gasp in shock.

"Foot face guys? Little kid?" Mikey asks in confusion.

"It's those flame face foot foes, fellas! And lady," Donnie smiles sheepishly at Amy. "That little guy is a mutant?!" The trio all look shocked at the group and their situation.

"What happened to you guys? Did a doctor cut you up and-"

"No, we did not see a doctor!" Amy exclaims in annoyance.

"Is there a creepy doctor running around that we don't know about?" Raph asks as both assumed the same thing.

"Well, no, but you all look stupid," Brit chuckles at them, sharpening his claws. "You're gonna have to give up your store now, Amy!"

"I don't care if I'm stuck like this for eternity, the answer's no!" Amy exclaims at him.

Hypnopotamus laughs at them.

"Looks like you've got to choose between me or them. A classic Wellington's choice!" Hypno runs through the Exhibit of Occult Devices section.

"He's getting away into that exhibit on the occult!" Donnie exclaims, "Quick, follow him!" He steps forward.

"Hurry, let's get the device while these idiots are stuck together." Donnie glares at the insult.

"It's _team-building_!" Raph calls out after them.

"Why are we stuck together when there are literally four villains?" Mikey asks.

"Make that five!" They turn around to see Warren Stone.

"Oh no," Amy murmurs in annoyance. "This guy again?"

"Warren Stone, the biggest, baddest of them all is here to get in on the-"

"Hey guy," Leo interrupts his speech. "Can you give us a minute? We've got a lot on our plate here."

"We need to go after the flame heads!" Mikey exclaims.

"No, Hypno," Donnie tells him.

"No, stop me!" Warren shouts, but they don't listen.

"What about that little brat? We need to figure out what he's doing with those flame guys," Amy looks up.

"My lady has a point," Leo nods, grinning up at her. She rolls her eyes.

"Flame heads!" Mikey tries to go left.

"Hypno!" Donnie tries to go right.

"Flame heads!"

"Hypno!"

"Flame heads!"

"Hypno!"

"Flame heads!"

"Hypno!"

While they're arguing, Raph is getting more and more annoyed. This wasn't teamwork at all, more like the opposite. "Enough! We deal with the problem that's in front of us. Like the perfect...theam. Theam?" His handwriting got all smushed during the scuffle.

"Well that makes perfect sense. Okay theam, what are we gonna do?" Donnie says sarcastically.

"We roll!"

"Roll what?" Mikey asks skeptically.

"Us! Get on our side. It's bouldering time," Raph declares and Amy's eyes widen.

"Wait, but don't roll too fa-" They start rolling towards the silverfish and when they crash into them, the silverfish multiply. Raph pushes them forward and they crash into a pillar, this bounces them towards a horde of silverfish and Warren crashes onto the ground due to them hitting the surface he was standing on. He grins evilly at all the chaos before he notices the turtles and Amy rolling right towards him. He yells and gets squished, caught into their glue ball.

"Guys, I-" Mikey's face turns into a lighter green as he looks like he's about to puke. "I don't feel so good!"

"Stop!" Warren gets flattened by the ground and the silverfish move out of the way.

"Just missed it!"

"Please, no more," Amy begs as her eyes are swirling around, but they continue anyway, moving like a pinball in a pinball machine. They stop in the middle of the silverfish.

"Focus. We roll as a team."

"Yeah, sure...more rolling. That'll make me less nauseous," Amy murmurs, but Raph rolls them again way, crushing some silverfish.

"It's working!"

"We're doing it!"

"Keep rolling boys and Mellie!"

The four turtles smile while Amy is trying not to throw up. Raph and Leo use their arms to crawl forward. They roll and crush another silverfish.

"Nailed it!" Mikey exclaims as all of the defeated silverfish are now in a trashcan. Raph closes it shut and throws an unbroken statue on top of it. They push it away, wobbling before balancing themselves.

"Nice job, team! We saved the place!"

"Please never make me boulder again," Donnie murmurs.

"Ditto," Amy says, her voice trying not to break. They hear a boom and look up as Hypno is talking.

"Ha! Even Mount Marahoue would be envious of that explosion!"

"Hypno!" Raph realizes, pointing towards the exhibit entrance. "We gotta hurry!"

Hypno is trying to break through a sarcophagus with his razor-sharp rings. Green flames come from it. "With the power of the first witch, I'll be able to resurrect Doug, and then together we can-"

"Okay Hypno," He turns to see the turtles and Amy rolling into the room, standing up. "Time to send you back to...I mean, time to make you-"

"Wait, wait, wait, I got it," Leo interrupts, as he could come up with something. "Turn me." Donnie and Mikey turn around, making Leo face Hypno. "Hypno, time to send you back to-"

Amy then throws up, the substance dripping from her mouth. "Gross," Mikey murmurs as Donnie and Raph look away in disgust.

Hypno stares at her as she takes a deep breath. "Do you need a minute to warm up, or...?"

"My lady?" Leo asks, as this was kind of embarrassing. "My lady, are you okay?"

"Amy? Yo! Anyone there?" Mikey calls out as she shakes her head rapidly.

"I'm fine...continue," She looks at Hypno.

"Mesmer-Roooo!" He does his hypnotizing scream.

"He's gonna hypnotize me!" Leo exclaims, "Turn!" They turn around, but now Mikey is the target.

"Turn!"

"Turn!" Donnie exclaims when it's him.

"Turn me!" Warren calls out, as he's in between Donnie and Raph, now stuck himself. Raph is hypnotized and his eyes swirl around.

"Now that you're under my control, how bout you leave this place and-"

"We're not under your control," Leo interrupts.

"Yes master," Raph says.

"Oh brother," Donnie comments and Amy sighs, shaking her head. Thankfully they couldn't turn at an angle where she could be hypnotized.

"Donnie, Mikey, pink-a-boo, he can't hypnotize us, let's get 'im!" Leo declares and they all grin, Leo struggling to move. They run towards Hypno, whose eyes widen.

"Uh, that's a little too close, stop right there!" He calls out.

"Sorry, what? I can't hear you," Leo replies smugly and he uses all of his force that he has to move Raph's arm.

"Oh no, not again," Hypno comments and Raph's arm slaps him. He crashes into the wall, coughing as his silhouette is left on the wall. Raph snaps out of it.

"What happened?"

"We stopped him," Leo explains.

"Ah," Raph smiles, "Like the perfect team."

"No!" Leo and Amy exclaim. "No more terrible team-building ideas!"

"Please, no more! I don't wanna be stuck like this again!" Amy exclaims in horror.

A chest is dropped onto the ground and Foot Brute opens it. The trio shed tears of joy before the turtles and Amy roll into the room.

"One set of bad guys left," Raph points at them.

"Will this nightmare never end?" Leo asks as Amy hangs her head. She was getting tired of having no movement, especially since she has no control whatsoever.

"This is really gonna hurt ya," Foot Brute puts on the gauntlet, which looks to be like the same one that they stole from the department store. He points at it them and Raph cringes.

"That's not good," He whimpers slightly and a lightning bolt is shot at them from the hand. They crash into the wall...which breaks off the glue and sets them free!

"Yes!" Leo cheers, pumping his fists. "We're free!"

"That's not good," Foot Brute cringes at this. The turtles and Amy were less of a threat when they were stuck, but now they may actually stop them.

"You idiot!" Brit exclaims at him. "Look what you did!"

"I missed you, guys," Mikey hugs himself and Amy sighs in relief, stretching her arms. She looks down at her skirt.

"My butt is not flat, you jerks!" She clenches her fists as she pouts at them.

"Think of it this way, you have all the time of the world to get revenge," Leo puts an arm around her and she smirks.

"Oh, no one needs to be that close to their family," Donnie comments as Raph looks like he's about to cry. "No offense."

"You moron! Hit 'em again!" Foot Lieutenant orders and Foot Brute fires the electricity again. They all jump out of the way, hiding behind some displays.

"Oh no," Leo murmurs and Raph holds the pieces that held his team together.

"Raph! What are you doing?" Mikey asks as Raph gets hit by the electricity bolt. He crashes onto the ground, whimpering.

"Raph!" Donnie calls out as Leo and Amy glance at each other, nodding. Leo takes Amy's hands and lifts her up in the air so that he's holding her whole body above him. He throws her up into the air and she spins around, firing a powerful electricity spear at the trio.

"Raph, you okay, buddy?" Donnie asks as the two run over to help Raph.

"Yeah, man. I just really thought this would bring us together. The FAB was a stupid idea. Just do your guys' thing and split up," Raph pouts, his eyes watering.

"No, your plan worked," Leo glances at Donnie. "We're a better team now." He gives his brother a pleading look to just go with it. Amy looks down at Raph.

"Right, um...I was just complaining because I wanted the cake to be a success! And we defeated all of those bad guys," Amy bites her lip so that she looks truthful.

"Yeah," Donnie nods, "What if we...didn't split up?"

"What if we got the FAB five back together?" Mikey smiles widely. Raph sits up as he smiles fondly.

"Sure, but how?" They don't have the invention that got them stuck, and the pieces were broken. Warren sits up.

"Finally, I'm free!"

"Let's use this rope," Leo grabs Warren. Together, they grab all the pieces and use Warren to keep them all together.

"I am not a belt!" Warren yells, but they ignore him.

"Let's do this," Raph declares and they all jump into the air.

"I'm the greatest foe you'll ever face!"

Donnie's foot kicks Foot Brute in the face, Raph punching him. They knock him to the ground and he looks up to see the six rolling towards him. "Cowabunga!" They bump into him and he goes flying behind Foot Lieutenant. He makes four Origami soldiers appear, Raph narrowing his eyes at them. "Let's shred, boys...and girl." They roll into a ball again.

"This is my nightmare!" Warren shouts as they defeat the soldiers. Foot Lieutenant gives a look of shock before trying to run, but ultimately gets squished. He goes soaring towards his partner, but he's opened the portal.

"Move out of the waaaaay!" He knocks into Foot Brute, taking them through the portal. The five slip out of the statue they crashed through and see Brit trying to get away. Raph grabs him and holds him up into the air.

"No, wait, what are you do-" Leo grabs his underwear and stretches. "Aw, no! My expensive undies!" He squeals in pain and they use the underwear as a slingshot, making him fly through the portal and it closes. The glue pieces break apart, setting them free once more.

"FAB mode is awesome!" Mikey cheers and Raph stands up.

"Now we are..." He looks down at his hand. "The perfect team."

"Yeah!" they all cheer, high threeing each other.

"Go team theam." They walk away, leaving Warren Stone by himself.

"Finally, I'm free!" He fixes his hair and sees the gauntlet that the Foot Clan had left behind. His eyes shine as he looks at it. "This will work nicely." He grabs it and puts on it, causing his arm to grow bigger. He laughs and a bird lands behind him, pecking him on the head. "Ow! Get-Get away, bird!" The bird opens its mouth, planning to eat him, but Warren instantly uses the gauntlet, which blasts the bird away. He laughs at the power he suddenly has before the gauntlet hits him in the face, knocking him unconscious.

* * *

Leo and Amy glare at each other, staring at each other intensely in the eyes.

"Don't do this, my lady. You have no idea what you're dealing with."

Amy cracks her hand as her eyes narrow further. "Sorry, Leo, but you..."

She raises her hand as she drops...a car onto a space. "Got bankrupt!"

"Noooooo!" Leo shouts in agony as he drops his knees to the ground. Amy smirks as she puts something back into her mouth. Chewbacon gives her all of the money that Leo had just lost. The two are playing Monopoly together in the bakery, with Chewbacon as the banker. "Man, every time! But I have your cake pops, so it's a win-win." He bites into the soft lollipop, the same one that Amy was eating.

"Thanks again for helping me out with the cake," Amy smiles brightly, glancing at the cake. It shines in its finished glory. The turtles had already left.

"Of course, we're your friends," Leo tells her as he sits in his chair. Amy smiles at him. Growing up, she didn't have friends since she had to stop attending school to work. If she didn't, the bakery would go out of business and then who would pay for her mother's bills?

Leo looks down at all the places on the Monopoly board, playing around with one of her hotels. "If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?"

"Hm?" Amy looks at him, glancing at all the properties. "I would go to...Coney Island."

Leo raises a brow, chuckling slightly. "You do know where we're living, right? It doesn't take long to go to Coney Island from here."

"I have a reason," Amy flares up her nose. "Well...it was one of the few places that I had fond memories of my family...my whole family," She glances at a photo. Leo looks at it as Amy is holding her baby sister at the hospital. Her mother, father, and brother all look happy together...

"We would ride everything while Dad would get sick," Amy hums slightly at the memory. "And then we would go to Nathan's, the hot dog place, and I would get that mango lemonade," Her face turns into a bright smile. "And then we'd play the games and I won a prize sometimes..."

"...What was your favorite one?" Leo wonders.

"The Jamaican Banana," She giggles, closing her eyes. "So I would go to Coney Island...but with my mother's illness and me working, I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon..."

Leo's eyes soften at her. "...Does she think you're...you know, like your family?"

Amy lets out a sigh. "Yeah, she thinks I'm dead like everyone else. She got her illness in the hospital after the accident. I was a few years younger at the time, so my father had to explain that my siblings were gone," She bites her lip. "It's been years and she still thinks that I'm dead..."

Leo looks away, feeling guilty. "Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, it's okay."

He turns to the brunette, seeing a smile on her face. It looks genuine, she doesn't look sad or angry. "My mother might think I'm dead, but...she's still the last of my family that I have left. My other relatives cut off ties with us since she doesn't remember them. At least...at least I'm not alone."

Leo slowly smiles. "You're right...you're not alone. You have us, too. Including Leon," Leo gestures to himself and she snorts.

"Come on, wonder turtle. Let's see if you can beat me at something else," She stands up and starts cleaning the table. Leo stares at her as he can see a small smile on her face. Chewbacon steps down from his spot and walks across the room. He grabs her hand and pulls her towards him. She gasps sharply at his strength and he looks at her.

"Leo...?" She murmurs as he's close enough to kiss her. He sighs as he walks past her. She reaches out to her lips, blushing. _What just happened...? Was he about to..._

She places a hand on her cheek as a look of longing is on her face. Amy turns around to see that he's already gone downstairs. Amy wanted to deny it for the past few days, but...she's come to terms with it. She likes him...she likes that adorable, cocky idiot of a turtle. She gives a look of dismay, but walks upstairs anyway.

If only he had the courage to tell her how he felt...well, at least, for real.


	18. Al Be Back

**Angel: I thought the wrestling thing was crazy, but this episode has proven me wrong XD I'm not kidding. What is up with these plots? Who comes up with these, I wanna meet them. Personally, I like the fact that the turtles are expanding their horizons on pop culture, but sometimes when plots are released, I have to question the sheer plausibility of it XD *laughing* Man...but then when I see the actual episode, they're funny and thought out with the references they bring to real life people.**

 **I have no idea when the next episode is going to come out or what it'll be about. The wiki doesn't say, but we'll probably see a few more episodes before the Christmas season or next year if they're gonna go that far. I'm hoping for the former. So, until we see a new episode, sayonara!**

Albearto's Pizzeria has been repaired and reopened for another birthday party. Kids are happily playing as the birthday girl blows out her candles, the others cheering. A suspicious guest is walking around: Baxter Stockboy. He glances back at the new Albearto and the other two robots playing their music on stage. Stockboy sneaks past all the distracted kids. "It's your birthday, Tanya Melendez. Happy birthday, Tanya Melendez. "Now that you are...6 and a half years old."

Stockboy opens the backpack he had on, revealing the sentient Albearto's head top of a racecar. "Hoo hoo hoo! Thanks for the wheels, kiddo! Now your prize. The cheat code for the dance machine is left, left, left left, left left, and left! Engage wheels! Vroom vroom!" He drives off and lands on top of a chair, eyeing the new Albearto's body. "Hello handsome! New bod, here I come." He analyzes it with his eye and zooms off, destroying the cake in the process. The other kids watch in awe as he goes up a ramp and crashes into the body, taking its head clean off. The kids are all shocked as the racecar explodes, letting the new head take form. Albearto is now back!

He lets go of the guitar and shreds his claws into his robot claws. "Bon giorno, kiddies! Guess who's back?"

All the kids scream, running past the manager, who is confused. "Hey, where's everybody going?"

Albearto appears right behind him, chuckling. The manager slowly turns around with a look of horror on his face, screaming.

Albearto stands in front of the Hall of Fame, holding onto the manager. "Traitorous fiend! What do you want with robots from failed Albearto's franchises?" He demands, but Albearto doesn't see it that way, as he has plans for them.

"Failed? Our only failure was lettin' you humans run everything," He grabs the manager's hand and uses it to gain access to the case. The doors open one by one to show all of the previous incarnations of Albeartos. "Now, you're under new management. Patooey!" He lets his wires take control of all four of them, to give them sentience like he did with Cheery Tomato and President Pepperoni. They lift up their heads as they gain eyes, walking out of their 'prisons.'

"Look at all these fuzzy friends! Let's go find some more," he walks off, ready to build his army to get rid of the humans!

* * *

Meanwhile, in Central Park, all of the people around are listening in wonder at the beautiful singing. Some are crying while the birds are singing along. But it turns out that it's Splinter singing opera, who is surprisingly good. The turtles just watch him as they're in different costumes. As Splinter sings his heart out, glitter appears around him, but the turtles are not interested.

"No!" Raph denies.

"Not, not good."

"He belongs in a sewer."

"Oh please, my sons, let me be in your band!" Splinter pleads, kneeling as he clapses his hands.

"No thanks. We can't groove to, uh, this whole situation thing, daddy," Raph says in a deep voice, eyeing Splinter.

"Uh, you hit your head? Why you talking like that?" Splinter asks in confusion.

"If you wanna be soul, you gotta live soul," Raph plays with his black wavy wig. He's wearing a brown suit with white frills at the end of the sleeves. He represents the soul part of the group, obviously. Kind of like a James Brown.

"But if we need an overbearing manager who robs us blind, we'll give you a call, mmkay?" Leo asks as he's wearing a blue suit with light blue streaks at the sleeves, pant legs, and the shoulder pads. His wig is a messy mop of white hair. He's also wearing a blue tie as he represents the rock part of the group.

"Okay, fine," Splinter says in defeat. "I'll just start another family and join their band!" He walks off.

"Alright babies, let's boogie down. Our adoring public awaits. Albearto Land ain't gonna grand open itself," Raph says in his deep voice.

"How did we get this sweet gig again?" Leo looks down at Donnie, holding his blue and turquoise guitar over his shoulder.

"Well, I may or may not intercepted a little email addressed to a certain Justin B at yeah comma dot com," Donnie brags with a smile. For once he's not wearing his goggles because he has a helmet over his head. He's wearing a purple suit with light purple steaks on it and a light purple tie, as he represents the electro part of the group.

"Hey, I don't wanna get ahead of myself, but our music is so new, it's like it's from outer space," Leo fantasizes.

"Yeah, our electro slash soul slash rap slash glam rock is too good to quantify," Donnie grins. Mikey's wearing an orange hat, sunglasses, and a track suit as he represents the fourth part, rap.

"Once we leave this lair, our music is gonna change everything," Mikey holds out his arms.

"Let's harmonize, for good luck," Raph suggests and they do just that, one by one, as they do their own sounds in their styles.

"Nailed it," Leo, Donnie, and Mikey say in unison with a confident smile.

"Albearto Land, prepare to be blown away!" Raph replies, clenching a fist.

"Uh, not without our lead singer, now where is she?" Donnie questions, looking around. Yes, Amy finally agreed to be a part of their band, but Raph looks upset at two words.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Mellie is the lead singer? That's supposed to be me!" Raph gestures to himself with a pout.

"Raph, we talked about this," Mikey warns him. "Amy's lead singer because she has more experience."

"B-But she only sang twice!" Raph protests and Leo shakes his head as his brother seems to have forgotten about their little chat.

 _"Hey Raph," Leo called out as he walked past the arcade. Raph was playing an arcade game. "Still on for pink-a-boo being the lead singer of our band?"_

 _"Oh, uh, yeah, for sure!" Raph waved him off as he was too focused on the game to pay attention._

"Either way, people love her. We're still getting likes and comments from our dance video," Leo brags, holding up his phone to play the clip of Amy singing in Times Square. "And she said she'd meet us there, she had to close up early today."

"Whatever," Raph huffs, crossing his arms. With Amy being a last addition, they can just cut her out and he can have more spotlight.

* * *

As the sun is setting, Albearto is standing underneath the docks with his newly acquired army. "Al-Beardo," he gestures to the bear that has a red mustache, eye patch, and pirate hat. "Courageous pirate captain from Al-Beardo's Squid and Chips. Welcome!"

"I put the arr in tartar sauce!" Al-Beardo chuckles, holding up his hook.

"Bayou Bearto. Your gumbo was jumbo!" He looks at a plaid-dressed bear with two front teeth and a green hat. He says something in the accent his franchise is based. "O...kay."

He turns to a blue-bereted bear with a black and white striped shirt and a red scarf. "Chef Albear from La Petite Albear. They said it was crazy to mix animatronics with fine dining."

"Sadly, they were right," The bear has a French mustache and beard, sharpening his claws with a baguette. "C'est la vie."

"And finally, Otto von Bearto!" Albearto looks at a German bear with suspenders and a blonde mustache. "From Otto von Bearto's Best Wurst House!"

"Try mein strudel," Otto holds up a finger. "Ooo, like a blitz krieg of flavor."

"My Beartos, today we rise like our gourmet dough! No longer will we be dipped in fried oil!" Albearto declares as he clenches a fist. "No longer will our strudels be force fed into our speaker systems! We shall liberate all robots, beginning with the legions of our brothers at Albearto Land!"

The others cheer, agreeing with him. They're actually standing right underneath Albearto Land, as the kids are taking pictures with the mascots, playing the games and winning Albearto prizes. There's an Albearto-like stage like the one at the Pizzeria. Amy arrives and parks her bike, putting on the parking brake unless someone's stupid enough to steal it. She looks out of breath as her hair is a mess and she's sweating.

Raph moves a speaker as Donnie prepares the equipment. Leo looks outside at the crowd, holding his guitar. Seeing all the robots was a little creepy. "Okay, look, I'm excited for the gig, but the place is crawling with Albeartos."

"So?" Donnie shrugs it off.

"Last time we met one, things didn't go so well, remember?" Leo asks him.

"I do not," Donnie denies it.

"You turned a cuddly animatronic bear into a psychotic robot bent on destroying us? No? Got April fired? Hm? Nothing? Hm?"

"That does not sound like me, no," Donnie turns to him and Amy steps inside.

"I'm here!" She pants, wiping the sweat off her forehead. She's holding her outfit in her arms, which is covered in white plastic so they can't see it.

"Where were you?" Leo demands as she takes a breath.

"Hey, closing down a business early is not easy, buddy."

"What's not easy is you being lead singer!" Raph points to her in accusation. "What gives?"

"What?" Amy looks confused.

"What is this?" Donnie demands, standing up to her and looking at her hair. "Oh no, no, no. This will not do, Amy. Not at all. Just look at your face!" He cups her cheeks, pulling back to look at the sweat. "Leo, hair, Mikey, make-up, right away!"

"On it!"

"Oh, this is gonna be fun!"

"Wait, what?" Amy asks nervously as Donnie pushes her to behind the boxes. Mikey takes her weapon and it turns into a vanity. Yup, Amy's weapon can turn into objects. Leo places her down on a chair, Mikey taking away her outfit. Leo grins as he undoes her hair, letting it fall loose.

"Let's get rid of this."

"Wait a minute!" She protests as he holds a bucket over her and dumps cold water onto her hair, drenching it. "What was that for?!"

"Relax, just trust me," He grins, gesturing to herself as she pushes her hair away from her face, spitting out water.

"It's cold!"

"That's what I could find," He shrugs, scrubbing the soap to make bubbles onto her hair. She groans in defeat, as they wouldn't stop unless she fixed herself up.

"Fine. Whatever."

"Yes!" Leo pumps a fist and gets to work, Amy cringing at him as he's washing her hair. To her, it felt like Raph was pulling it. She's praying to let this nightmare end as Leo stands in front of her, blowing a hairdryer into her face. She feels her face being pulled back, but when Leo's finished, her hair sticks up in the air. "Hmm." He feels around to get the knots out and Amy takes a deep breath.

"Leo?"

"Yes, my lady?" He grins as she has her eyes closed.

"Do you think that...me being the lead singer was a good idea? I don't know if I can do this...what if I screw it up?"

Leo stares at her from the mirror as she fidgets around. "Hey...look at me." She opens her eyes. "I've heard you sing. You're amazing, you'll do great." He places his hands on her shoulders. "You never know unless you try, right?"

"Right..." She murmurs with a weak smile. "Thanks."

"Of course. And hey, we wouldn't ask you to do it if we thought you were terrible."

"Gee, thanks for that," She deadpans as she closes her eyes.

"Done!" Her eyes widen and she looks up to the mirror. Her mouth drops open in shock as she touches the big French twist braid rested on her right shoulder.

"Oh wow..." She touches it lightly, fearing it would come undone if she touches it further. Leo eyes it, leaning back as he rubs his chin.

"Hmm, it's still missing something..." He glances down at his tie and grins, undoing it to Amy's confusion. He ties the ribbon at the end of Amy's hair into a bow. "There! See, you look great!" He grins at his work as Amy looks satisfied.

"How'd you learn how to do that?" She looks up at him curiously.

"Internet," He shrugs it off, clapping his hands as Mikey appears next to her. He starts slapping two powder puffs together and Amy coughs as it fulfills the area. Leo gets out of the way so he doesn't breathe it. Raph and Donnie glance at the boxes, shrugging as Mikey could handle this.

Amy has her eyes closed as the cloud disappears, waving a hand in front of her face. "Okay, just a few more touches," Mikey starts playing around with her make-up items from her bag, moving a brush onto her cheeks.

"Hey, don't go overboard, okay? I don't spend half my earnings for you to waste quality make-up."

"Relax," Mikey dismisses it. "I got this. Make-up is art too."

"We'll see just how good you are when you're done experimenting with my face."

Mikey grins as he steps back, inspecting his work. "Alright...now open your eyes and feast upon my masterpiece!"

She does so and she sees a light blush applied to her cheeks. Her make-up is silver eyeshadow above her eyes, with a blush pink lipstick. Her eyebrows are slightly curved and there's glitter on her cheeks to make them shine with the spotlight. "Huh...not bad."

"I told you," Mikey grins confidently and he walks away. "Now we just have to get her dressed."

"Aw man, that's gonna take forever," Raph complains and Amy huffs.

"I can hear you."

A boy is leading his father to an attraction before Albearto laughs, revealing his presence. "I'll wake up our brother bots! You go show these humans what life will be like in the after age of Albearto!" The four go off to terrorize the people. Albearto goes to a concession bear and makes him sentient. The bear's antenna on his hat blinks as he looks up.

The kids scream in fear as Otto throws pretzels. Mikey leans in towards the curtain.

"Can you hear that? This crowd is wild for us, guys!" Mikey cheers.

"We are so good, we don't even need to play to make people go crazy, baby."

"Are you boys ready for our lives to change?" Leo asks and they turn to the boxes. "You ready, pink-a-boo?" She slowly steps out from the space, all the turtles gasping in shock.

Amy wears a pink dragging-dress that shows the front of her legs (knee to feet) with a silver strap across her left shoulder that twists around her chest and to her waist, silver coloring inside the dress, and pink scale-like trimming. Her bodice is shaped like a bell. Her shoes are hot pink heels with straps from her toes to her lower shin and silver decorating it. She also wears silver pearl earrings with raindrop-like jewels dangling from them, pink necklaces around her neck (as a choker) and collar bone (like a regular necklace), and two silver necklaces on her left wrist while the larger one has silver gems around it. She's meant to represent R&B.

"Woooow," Leo says in awe of her and she fidgets around.

"Is it too much?"

"No way! You look awesome!" Mikey gives her a thumbs up.

"Really love the matching colors!" Raph grins, smirking to himself. Letting himself take the spot was gonna be a cinch.

"Truly a thing of beauty," Donnie grins as Leo says nothing, trying not to faint.

"You look beautiful~" He says happily and she rubs her neck sheepishly.

"Ah ha, thank you..." She almost blushes at his compliment. Almost. Leo, Donnie, and Mikey push her up front where everyone can see. Donnie comes back and pushes her just a smidge, handing her a golden microphone. Raph growls lowly and stands next to her.

The curtains open and Raph turns to the crowd, Donnie holding a keyboard that's strapped over his neck. "Hello, Albearto-" He screams at all the destruction that's going on, Mikey's back to the crowd. There's a few fires with some stands already destroyed.

"There it is! Our first blood-curling shrieks of love!" He hugs himself and Amy turns him around.

"Those bots are ruining our gig!" Leo complains as he wanted to hear Amy sing, Mikey lifting up his sunglasses.

"As well as harassing hundreds and hundreds of people," Donnie points to the people trying to get away.

"Which is ruining our gig!" Leo reminds them.

"Ah, how did this happen?" Amy asks in confusion.

"Let's get 'em!" Raph declares and they jump into the fight, Albearto taking possession of another concession bear and watching the chaos.

"Oh, holy cannoli, I wish I could speed things up!" It's tiring for him to take possession of the robots one at a time. He gasps as he sees a large antenna in front of him that's powering up all the rides. "If I could get to the central control diddly doo, then I can unleash all of my brothers at once!" He starts running towards it, Otto throwing pretzels like shuriken at a little girl. She hides behind some barrels in fear, whimpering as Otto and Albear loom over her.

"It's one thing to trap innocent people in a park of doom!" Leo runs up, slamming Otto with his guitar. He lands at the hammer game, with the bell hitting him. "It's another to ruin our first gig!"

"Bonjour!" Albear declares, holding two baguettes in his hand. He's suddenly captured by Mikey's whip.

"Flingabunga!" He throws the bear into a stand and he falls down onto the ground. Amy takes the little girl and jumps, landing at the entrance.

"Wooow," The little girl looks up at her in awe. "You're from that video! Can I have a selfie? Please, please, pleaaaase?"

"Uhh," Amy looks back at all the bears destroying the park before bending down to her. "I guess one couldn't hurt."

"Yay!" she cheers, pulling out her phone.

Meanwhile, Al-Beardo the Pirate has taken control of the boat ride. "Yarr be walking the plank today!"

"Physimast!" Donnie jumps down, using his spider arms from his shell to knock the robot bear down. The kids scream in terror as Bayou Bearto is spinning them around. Raph lets out a note and the bear turns to him.

"Did someone call soul patrol?" Raph grins, "I can sing better than Mellie!"

"Jambalaya guarantee!" Bayou Bearto declares, Raph spinning his microphone stand.

"Cowabunga!" He smacks the bear with it, who pushes against it, Raph growling at him. He throws Bayou Bearto into a stance, placing his hands on his hips. "Alright, we beat those Beartos."

"Yeah, but we lost all our loving fans," Mikey places his hands on his cheeks as they see everyone leaving the park in terror.

"Uh, because of those bears coming to life? That's naturally bound to scare anyone," Amy speaks up.

"Hey, uh, what's that vaguely familiar guy doing?" Donnie jerks a thumb at Albearto at the antenna.

"You can't stop me from freeing my chums! No one can!" He smashes into the antenna, shocking himself. "Let's spice up these meatballs!" He laughs evilly as the antenna turns red, engulfing the park and turning every single concession robot to life. The turtles and Amy look around as they're surrounded.

"Oh no," Amy murmurs.

"These animatronics stereotypes are running our gig!" Donnie shouts at the crowd, Albearto laughing.

"At last, humans will be our mascots, our servers, our entertainers! And we will march! The only thing in our way is these turtles and the female human! Shred them and make the female lead singer our first slave!" Albearto points at them.

"What?!" Amy exclaims in disbelief, Raph turning to her.

"You know, I take it back. You can be the lead singer," He tells her. The robots start heading towards them and they scream, jumping on top of the hotdog stand.

"This gig stinks!" Mikey says as Amy jumps into the air, throwing her weapon that's now a boomerang. It eliminates some of them, but more appear to replace the ones just destroyed.

"There's too many of them!" She exclaims as she looks around at the robots trying to knock them off.

"Why did we even start a band in the first place?" Mikey sags at the fact that no one's around to hear their music.

"Because we wanted to change the world, and bring people joy," Leo puts an arm around him. "With our eclectic sound."

"I'd say...unique," Amy waves a hand as she's never heard them play.

"And is there any reason why that shouldn't work for animatronic robots?" Raph asks with a smile.

"No, no I cannot think of one," Donnie agrees with him and they all jump into the air, landing back at the stage.

"Listen up, y'all," Raph calls out. "We dedicate this groove to all you beautiful bear bots out there. Hit it."

Leo starts playing pretty good. "Alright, Beartos! Time to get your circuits jammed!" Mikey declares as Donnie starts playing his keyboard. Raph lets out a long note into the microphone.

"Ohh yeah! I don't wanna be just another drone! Living my life in a robot clone!"

Amy's actually cringing as all of them are out of tune, Raph splitting his pants. Leo's slamming down his guitar as Mikey's swinging around his legs. Amy drags a hand down her face. She should've expected this, to be honest.

"Alright, alright," She stops them, as she's unable to endure any more of this torture. "Bring it in." They all huddle together. "You guys are..."

"Amazing?" Donnie grins.

"Awesome!"

"We're blowing up the crowd!" Two robots explode.

"We're great, right?"

"Um..." Amy glances away as some of the robots are exploding. "Yeah! But you know what, you could be even better if you..." She starts whispering in their ears and they nod in understanding.

"Ohh. Yeah, we could do that," Leo nods his head.

"Of course we could," Donnie scoffs it off.

"Okay then. Just follow my lead." Amy steps up to the stage, placing her mic into a stand. Raph does the same thing and Amy points to Leo. He starts playing, and in an actual good way. Whatever Amy told them, it's working. She points to Donnie and he chimes in, going in tune with Leo. Amy taps her foot against the wood floor as Mikey starts doing some moves. Amy and Raph sing in tune with each other and the music.

"Yeah!" Donnie cheers and the good music has the same result. Albearto sits above a dunk tank.

"Arr, it be better than walking the plank!" He short circuits himself into the water, shutting him down. Albear and Otto hold hands as they sit in the Albeartonator, a roller coaster.

"We will face our fate," Otto throws a pretzel at the control panel. "Together!" They kill themselves as the car explodes above the stage.

"It's working!" Amy grins at Raph and as she's singing solo, Leo glances at her. These lyrics seem very familiar with her family situation...he wonders if it's because she relates to it so much.

"Hey, what's going on?" Raph wonders as some of the robots can't take it.

"We are blowing their minds!" Leo declares, strumming down another chord.

Bayou starts talking normally. "Wait. This wonderful music has restored my ability to speak clearly. Now at last, I can live the normal life of-" His head is taken clean off as he falls to the ground.

"Guys, I think this is working!" Leo grins at Amy.

"They do appear to be more peaceful," Donnie smiles as Raph and Amy start singing together again. Some of the robots rip apart their wires while others do the same for the other. All of them eventually pull out their wires, shutting themselves down.

"Oh, it's so beautiful it's affecting my circuits!" Albearto holds his head at the melody as he's sitting in a bumper car. "I wanna say something dramatic and villainy, but my little bitty ears can't take any more of this! You accursed turtles and female have bested, no, worsted me yet again!" The bumper car starts going out of control before it eventually leaves the ride, going straight into the city and crashing.

"Guys, we did it!" Mikey puts his arm around Donnie, who suddenly has his goggles on. Amy sighs in relief.

"We nailed our first gig!" Donnie cheers.

"We are the Mad Dogs," Raph says, still in his deep voice.

"Okay, you need to stop talking like that," Amy tells him.

"Goodnight, Albearto Land!" Leo drops the mic dramatically.

"Hungry?" Raph offers.

"Pizza?" Leo asks happily.

"Albearto's?" Donnie questions.

"Guaranteed!" Mikey agrees as a seagull is pecking at a destroyed head.

"And after that, dessert's on me!" Amy points to herself, the turtles cheering. As much as they annoy her at times, she couldn't tell them that they actually sucked the first time. It'd hurt their feelings, and they were better off not knowing the truth. On the other hand, they do have the potential to be a great band the second time they tried again. And they were so good, the robots killed themselves. Yeah, that's how she'd basically describe what just happened.

* * *

Leo paces around as Amy hasn't called yet. After some dessert from her bakery, she headed home and Leo hasn't heard from her since. She promised him that she'd call as soon as she got back, and it's been an hour. Her place isn't that far from the store, even when walking. He glances at his phone at the time and grunts in frustration, leaving the lair to see what's up himself.

He gets to her apartment and his heart leaps as the windows are dark. That's already a bad sign. He breaks one of them open, seeing that none of the lights are turned on. Usually at this time, they would be turned on because Amy would be making dinner and not sleeping. He sees the broken plates and steps into the living room.

"Ames?!" His foot hits something and he looks down to see one of Amy's boots left behind. He fears the worst as he picks it up. "Ames?!"

"L-L-Leo." Her voice is frail and weak, but it's there. He stumbles into Ms. Santiago's room to see her choking Amy.

"Stop pretending to be her...my daughter is dead! Stop playing with me and tell me where she is!"

"But I am Amy..." She murmurs weakly, her eyes about to close. Leo steps in and throws the woman off of her. She falls to the ground, Amy rubbing her throat as she coughs. He looks at her with panicked eyes that her mother would go that far. Was she really that dangerous for Amy to be around? Leo looks down at the woman, frowning to himself.

"No! She's dead, and nothing will bring her back to me!" Mrs. Santiago shouts, hugging a picture of Amy. Leo picks up Amy and jumps outside the window, landing on the ground. She's panting as she's trying to catch her breath, leaning against the wall.

"Leo," She says between breathing, "I'm so sorry."

"My lady..." He murmurs, cupping her cheeks as he inspects her face. Luckily, she doesn't look hurt.

"Leo..." She looks at him, caressing his cheeks as well as they look at each other in the eye.

"You're not hurt, are you?" He gently strokes his thumb against her right cheek.

"I'm okay..." She whispers, reaching out towards his eyes. "I'm okay, I just..." She then covers them.

"W-What are you doing?" He asks in confusion.

"I don't want you...to see me cry," Her voice falters as tears threaten to fall. She glances away in case he peeks at her. "It's just been hard...it's like I'm slipping away into her shadow. She...never really looks at me anymore. Like she's trying to slip me into cracks that she's creating. But...but I don't wanna be someone that I'm not because of her. Like...like a picture no one sees. Erase me like I'm not here. I don't wanna be a girl who's got nothing to say. If she keeps this up, she'll run my whole life down and then I'll fade away..." She sniffles, letting a tear fall down her cheek. She doesn't know it, but Leo peeked at her anyway.

"My lady...this isn't your fault," He reaches out and wipes the tear away. "It's mine. I wasn't there to protect you and I let you get into serious trouble."

She stares down at him, realizing that he wasn't going to freak out or anything. She was still here...she was still a part of this world...

Amy rests her head on his shoulder and he blushes as he hugs her back. She grips harder, not wanting him to let go. He would be there for her, protect her from whatever her mother does to her. Because she was important...to him. She just doesn't realize it yet. They would get through this, together.

"Hey," He leans back to look at her as she's sniffling. "Come on, we'll get some ice cream."

"Ice cream?" She perks up, wiping her nose and he nods with a smile.

"Yeah. We'll go to Coldstone and get you that oreo cream filling you like."

"Ice creaaaaaam!" She cheers, pumping up her fists and he laughs at her changed attitude. He preferred it when his lady was happy. As long as he's there, she would no longer cry. She would always be happy, no matter what. He swears it.

 **Angel: The song that Amy was singing is Faded by the Veronicas. I figured to combine Leo and Donnie's style since they have the only two instruments. Yes, I know that Amy represents R &B, but I needed a song that reflected her personal situation, so I'm using that song anyway :P**


	19. The Purple Jacket

**Angel: This show surprised me today. I mean, no announcement or info whatsoever on not one, but TWO episodes, and they released them today?! Wow. Just wow. I hope this happens next week too, but we'll just have to wait and see.**

The bell rings at noon at school for them to have a lunch break. All the students are released, with most of them looking at their phones. Donnie is one of them as he's wearing a big purple jacket to conceal himself. Amy shakes her head at him, pressing a button from her remote as her bike beeps. Donnie chuckles as people are staring at him and Amy grabs his arm, walking up to the entrance normally. They make it up the stairs as some people are staring at Amy, as it's not common for her to be at school. She would've been working if she didn't get three people to help her out. And by people, she means the other turtles. She gave them strict instructions to not do anything unless they read the recipes first and that they read them carefully. Last time she left them alone without instructions, they blew up her office and she had to use Donnie's lab to organize her things for a week.

They make it to the computer lab, where April is typing away on one of the computers. Three shuriken are thrown near her that says 'I'm here!' with the exclamation point included.

"April."

She glances at Amy, who points up to the ceiling. April looks up and gasps as Donnie's hanging onto the ceiling lights. They move and he falls, landing on the chair near Amy.

"Hi Donnie. Thanks for coming," April waves at him.

"No probbles, and thank you for driving me here, Mia," Donnie grins at Amy, shaking off the shurikens.

"Mia?" Amy scoffs at him. "What am I, an awkward girl who's secretly a princess of a place called Genovia?"

"I LOVE this place!" Donnie uses the chair to spin around, Amy taking a seat to the right side of April. Donnie sniffs the air, causing everyone to stare at him. "Smells like learning, puberty." He sits back down. "So what do you need help with?"

"My computer science project," April gestures to her computer. "Just need you to check the code to make sure I haven't missed anything."

Donnie pushes past her to do his magic. "Oh, you have no idea how lucky you both are to be in school, girls. Surrounded by true intellectuals. Scholars after my own heart that are splendid and gorgeous purple satin jackets. Wait, what?!" He's looking at three kids who have the biggest space in the room. "Purple satin jackets?! The shimmery, the exquisite violet hue, the silkiness of the fabric. It has everything I love and even things I didn't know I loved yet!"

"Donnie," April places one of her feet in front of him. "If you're drooling here, something's gonna short-circuit."

"And I'm not paying to have it fixed. These things would cost my life's earnings, maybe even my retirement funds," Amy snorts at Donnie.

"They must be the kings and queens of high school," Donnie fantasizes with a grin.

"The Purple Dragon Tech Club?" April asks in disbelief. "Yeah, if by kings and queens you mean stuck-up jerks who think they're smarter than everyone else."

"Oh, that's what I was hoping you'd say!" Donnie spins around in his chair.

"Man, usually I'm not in here with my robot during this time, so I could care less about other people at school besides April," Amy rolls her eyes. Just because she uses a robot to get around doesn't mean she's social around everyone.

"Okay, let's run the Nakamura simulation," The leader, Kendra, is wearing a teal shirt underneath her purple jacket, a red beanie, black pants, and black flats. She also has teal lipstick, piercings, and long light purple hair. "Try not to get caught this time."

Jase, the initiate of the group, has a pair of simulation goggles on him. His environment changes as he types away, laughing. "Ha, I'm in! I bypassed the security protocols!"

"Nice work, Jase!" Kendra congratulates near Jeremy, an African America boy with yellow glasses, green hair, orange pants, and white sneakers. "Nice work. Let's take him down a peg," she glances at Jeremy.

"You got it, chief," He activates simulated dogs.

"I have an irrational fear of dogs!" Jase screams and the simulation is shorted out, Kendra and Jeremy laughing. The two do a signature handshake, Donnie looking in awe.

"Oh my gosh, did you see that?"

"What, that wack high five?" April asks, Amy laughing.

"More like a cheap knockoff..."

"Nay, my ladies. A secret five provocative of the golden ratios of the cosmos." Donnie pinches his hands together like he's meditating. "The superior minds, glorious jackets, girls I am joining this club!" He stands up confidently.

"You're what now?" April questions in disbelief.

"Donnie, I wouldn't if I were you," Amy warns but he walks up to them anyway. She rolls her eyes. "Boys."

"Yup," April agrees with her.

Donnie tiptoes up to them casually, bowing. "Greetings, tech enthusiasts! I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of your club, wait for it, here it comes, it's me." Kendra pulls the goggles back, smacking them onto Jase's face.

"Uh huh," Kendra looks uninterested. "April, robot girl, those are your names, right?"

"You've known me since kindergarten, Kendra," April points out.

"No, but since you don't have the best memory, it's Amy," The brunette rolls her eyes. "I'm in your science class."

"Hi Amy," Jeremy waves bashfully and she raises an eyebrow. Kendra rolls her eyes. Jeremy may or may not have a crush on the brunette, and it's the first time that he's seen her in person for a while.

"Hey?" She asks in confusion, but doesn't question it.

"Uh huh. Who's this guy and why does he look like mold?"

April sighs slowly. "Jeremy, Jase, and Kendra, this is our friend, Don-"

"Otello von Ryan. Maker, coder, partisan. I am ready to join your esteemed collective, and with regard to your purple jackets, I am a medium," He touches Kendra's arm, who looks annoyed and stomps on his foot. "Ow!"

"Sorry, von Ryan, but to join this group, you gotta bring something to the tables, so bye bye," She waves him off.

Donnie smirks, as he's got plenty. "Prepare to meet von Ryan," He pulls out his staff, showing off all the weapons.

"Whoa, it's the granddaddy of all multitudes!" Jeremy exclaims in awe.

"Okay, it's not bad," Kendra pushes it away. "What else you got?"

"Come on," April rolls her eyes, "You don't have to impress these fools."

"Yeah, I wouldn't even try," Amy shakes her head.

"That's what people say when they don't have anything impressive. Like this," He pushes a button from the side of his goggles. His inventions from his lab activate, such as his various shells. They walk past Mikey, Raph, and Leo as they're doing their own thing in their skate park. Mikey's skateboarding, Raph's pulling weights, and Leo's reading comic books. They pay no attention to the shells moving past them. They fly out of the seewrs and into the city. "Can I borrow these?" Donnie grabs Amy's remote and her mini staff.

"No, Donnie, wait-!"

He presses a button and activates Amy's weapon, turning it into a sword. His shells appear, knocking everyone around him to the floor. Jeremy opens his eyes and gasps, pumping his fists. "Sweet! So, how do these things communicate? Is it a microwave transceiver?" He looks down at Amy in glee. "Is it?!"

"With class C encryption protocol," Donnie activates his staff, Amy's bike, and her weapon as a demonstration.

"Oh my fame! I know class C, inside and out!"

Kendra grabs him, holding him up in the air. "Can the bromance. Von Ryan," Kendra points to him with a smirk. "You're in."

Jase jumps up and down, Kendra and Jeremy glancing at him. "Quit smiling, Jase. You're still lone man on the totem pole." Kendra pulls the jacket off of him, throwing it to Donnie. It lands on his arm and he gasps in awe. He slips it on, and it was the best moment of his life.

"Yes! Be honest, girls, do I look fantastic or superbly fantastic?"

"You look like you dropped a juice box in the laundry," April deadpans to him.

"Still...you look like a little kid," Amy rolls her eyes. What they don't know is that there are three trackers: in Donnie's jacket, Amy's bike, and her weapon.

* * *

When the two arrive back at Amy's store, Mikey's waving off a customer. Raph seems to be finishing an order and Leo's wiping off the counter. Amy almost drops her bag in surprise. "Wow, this place looks amazing..." Then she sees the dough drying on the walls. "Why is there cake on my walls?"

"It's authentic," Mikey grins, "...And Raph put in too much flour."

"I knew it was too good to be true," Amy sighs as she walks into her office to change. Donnie opens the door and they hear the bell, turning to him. Leo frowns a little that Amy was spending time with him. When she asked them to hold the fort while she was gone, he agreed immediately. He just didn't know what he'd be risking when she explained that she was taking Donnie to April's school. What if she prefers hanging out with Donnie rather than him? After all, Donnie's more mature...most of the time, and Leo was just a goof trying to make jokes all the time...

"Oh hey guys. What's the haps?"

Leo doesn't pay much attention as Mikey and Raph glance at him. "Huh? Oh, oh, this?" He points to the jacket. "I didn't realize I had it on. This is my sweet new purple satin jacket."

"Yup."

"Got it for being a bit of a tech whiz."

"That's nice," Mikey dismisses as he's counting how much money they made.

"Purple Dragons," Donnie chuckles and Leo just hums, Amy stepping out of her office in her uniform.

"Well, you grab some toast, fellas!" Donnie throws some toast from Amy's bread basket. "Cause you are all jelly!"

"Stop touching the bread!" Amy warns him, opening a drawer and grabbing one of her pink hair ribbons. She ties her hair into a low ponytail as Mikey puts the money back, giving her the status. "Oh wow, great job guys. Definitely improved from last time. You head on out, I'll take care of things from here."

They smile and wave her off, walking out the back door as they take off their chef hats. When Donnie enters the Turtle Tank, they all groan.

"The nerve of that guy!" Leo gestures to him.

"Who brings something that beautiful into a place like that?" Mikey points behind him.

"Hey!" Amy protests as the door's still open. Mikey closes it sheepishly and Amy waves to a new customer entering with a smile.

"I'd give up every red bandana to feel the silky smoothness of that purple satin on my skin," Raph hugs himself.

* * *

Donnie hangs the jacket using his staff as a coat hanger, stretching with a yawn. He takes off his shell and it falls to the ground. He looks at all the shells he showed off to his new club and walks away to go to sleep, shutting down the lights. He then grabs the jacket, as he laughs, unable to resist sleeping in it. Not only that, he didn't want his brothers getting any ideas.

He dreams about riding a motorcycle, wearing sunglasses and carrying pizza in a sidecar. He takes one of the slices, about to eat one. The turtle snores as all his gear is off, his jacket covering his plastron. He drools onto his pillow, his mask and goggles also off. He doesn't hear the tracker going off as his staff and all three shells activate.

As Amy's sleeping, dreaming about ice cream, the tracker from her motorcycle and her weapon are going off. She's wearing the same outfit Leo saw her in when he had to help her with her mother the first time. All of Donnie and Amy's equipment activate themselves as they leave their respective homes. Donnie doesn't hear them as they move right past his room, as he's still dreaming about riding in style, but the pizza boxes fly away.

"What? No no!" His jacket flies off of him and he gasps as he sees the jacket flying away and being shredded into an airplane engine. "No, no, no, no, no!" He screams as he's about to be crushed by the plane, but then he wakes up, gasping as sweat comes down his face. He sees his precious jacket intact, hugging it. He glances at his vibrating phone and answers it. "Yes?"

"Donnie, go turn on the news."

"You better see this," Amy informs him as she's sipping coffee, her phone to her ear as she's watching it right now. He turns on his tablet.

"The teen tech bandits are on a hard drive to ram their way into an electronics store." One of them has Donnie's shell, using his staff to break into the store. "Leaving police a terra bit confused." Amy rolls her eyes at the puns as another robber has Donnie's spider shell. The last one has Amy's bike and weapon in glee, robbing another store.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Donnie shouts in anger.

"Hey buddy." He glares at Leo who's wearing a nightcap and robe, sipping his own coffee. "Trouble sleeping?"

"What's with the interrogation, Leo?! Everything's fine, I said!" Donnie says quickly and puts on his jacket, Leo smirking at him. He takes another sip of his coffee.

As the screen splits, Leo and Amy look down at their respective drinks, wondering if the other drinks coffee...they both shrug it off and Amy stands up. Donnie rushes into his lab to see all his shells gone.

"My babies! Oh, those satin rat punks!"

* * *

Donnie's sitting in April's bike basket, with Amy holding onto April behind. She can't summon her bike because they have her remote too and if she had her weapon, she could've used that as transportation, but nope.

"I warned you about those guys!" April grins knowingly as Donnie's holding a flashlight.

"You said they were full of themselves, not that they were criminal masterminds," Donnie points out. To the average night drivers, it looks like he's just April's bike light attached. "So in a small sense, this is entirely your fault!"

"Excuse me?" Amy asks slowly, narrowing her eyes. "Because you didn't listen to me, my own equipment got stolen too!"

"First of all, no, and second, what kind of criminal masterminds just rob electronic stores?" April retorts back.

"Maybe they just need your equipment for a bigger job," Donnie glances away and Amy scoffs at him.

"You mean like the one they were practicing on that VR simulator? The Nakamura one?" April questions.

"No, that's a real company! Nakamura computer chips are in like every computer in the country!" Donnie explains, pushing the picture away. "Let's go." April pants as she's carrying not one, but two people.

* * *

Jase is using the spider shell to climb up the building, Kendra flying with Shelldon and carrying the staff. Jeremy is floating using the bike's rotated wheels, carrying the sword. They stare at the Nakamura sign and Kendra pulls off the mask, pressing a button to make the staff into a blaster. It grows larger, creating a giant laser to make a circle. It blasts open, with April, Amy, and Donnie just arriving. They look up to see the hole.

"How are we gonna get up there with no tech?" She wonders as they have nothing.

"Old school." Donnie pulls out two climbing spikes. "Jazz hands!"

"No," Amy deadpans and he runs forward, slashing them around...as he lands on the window, scratching it as he falls.

"Come on. Plan B," April and Amy pull him, but his spikes are still attached, scratching the window even more.

The three teens open a door to a room, with a large router at the end of the room. "The main server!"

"We download the source, and we'll be able to hack any computer, in the world!" Jase explains, Kendra smiling. They go ahead to download it. While they're doing that, the trio of friends are running up the stairs as fast as they can, since there's no elevator.

Jeremy plugs in his computer, pointing to Jase, who smiles. He puts in the disk, Amy, Donnie, and April continuing to run.

The Purple Dragons continue to work, as they're almost there to finish downloading. April looks to see that they're on the 53rd floor. "Oh come on!" She complains, Amy panting.

"Whose bright idea was it to not give this place an elevator?!" She wheezes as they keep on running, but by the time they get there, the source has already been downloaded.

"Okay nerds, I want my stuff back!" Donnie demands, Amy pointing at them.

"And I want my ride and weapon back! Nobody steals my bike and gets away with it!"

"I got the code!" Jeremy exclaims in excitement. "Let's go!" They then run to make their escape, the three running after them.

They slide around the corner, Donnie stumbling onto wire. "End of the line, buddy-o!" He throws a spool. "Girls, heads up!" It lands on Amy's knee and she kicks it in the air, flying towards April's feet. She kicks it at Jeremy, knocking him and Jase to the ground.

"The code!" He drops it.

"Got it!" Kendra catches it in her arms, leaving her two teammates behind. They gasp at her supposed loyalty, the trio standing over them.

"Never betray...Otello von Ryan!"

"And never steal my stuff again!" Amy crosses her arms as Donnie turns to them.

"Grab the tech!" They grab the shells, Amy's bike, and her weapon, putting on the two shells as Amy jumps ono her bike. They chase after Kendra. "I'll tether myself to your jetpack!"

"Wait, what?" April asks in confusion. Kendra jumps out the hole they made from the window, flying using Donnie's regular shell. Donnie has a rope attached to April's shell, jumping out. Amy jumps out the hole, her wheels rotating so that she's flying. April screams as she flies around, Donnie hanging onto the wire. "How do you fly this thing?"

"Everyone's got their own style," Donnie chimes in. "Just do what comes natural."

"What comes natural, is NOT flying!" April exclaims to him, zooming after Kendra. They're all like three stars in the sky flying around as they chase the teen thief. Kendra turns around and fires the blaster. At all three of them. Amy stands up as her bike's on autopilot, slicing the laser in half with her ax. Kendra flies straight at them and Donnie gets hit in the head with his own staff as Kendra knocks Amy up into the air. The jetpack breaks apart and they both start falling towards the city. Amy screams, steadying herself as she flies towards her bike. She slowly gets on and chases after her friends. They spin as they fall towards a pole and Amy catches them in her sidecars. She lands safely into the alley, April sitting up.

"I think I broke your jetpack," She informs the turtle as the wings are bent and her hair is a mess.

"No probbles, I got this!" Donnie brags as he's got the spider shell on.

"Not so fast, von Ryan." Kendra is flying above them. She types away, implanting a Purple Dragon code. The arms start to grab Donnie's neck while Amy's ax turns into a claw, clutching her waist.

"Hey, no, stop! Override, override. Alpha Bootyshaker9000! Three ys!"

"Let me go!" Amy struggles, gritting her teeth at the girl.

"Well, von Ryan," Kendra flies down towards them. "Looks like you're outta luck." He grabs at the claws while Amy tries to pull herself free. "I'd love to spend all night beating you up with your own tech, but I've got a global bank to hack. Bye bye," She blows a kiss and starts to fly away. Both Amy and Donnie break free from their holds, but their machines are about to attack until April comes in, kicking them away.

The claws start to attack and Donnie looks at his shell. "The rotors. The reason why I never wear a jacket is that I'm terrified it would get caught in them," He hugs his Purple Dragon jacket.

"How bout using a jacket to block those rotors?" April calls out as she fends off the claws.

"Exactly," Donnie points at her. "Give me yours, or Amy can."

"What?" The girls ask in defense. "No! Use your own jacket!"

"I'm not giving you my jacket!" Amy hugs herself. "I wear this for a reason: fashion!"

Donnie groans, rubbing his chin. "You know, even though this whole thing was your fault, girls, I guess it is up to me to solve it." Amy glares at him, punching him in the arm. "Ow! Hey, watch the jacket, Mia!"

"Ooo, we're gonna have a talk," April threatens, Amy nodding in agreement. Donnie unzips his jacket, removing it slowly. He smushes it into a ball, sighing in sadness. He prepares to throw it, but to him, it was like saying goodbye to a friend.

"Fare thee well, my synthetic darling," He rubs it against his chin. "I hardly knew ye, but parting is such sweet-"

"Just do it!" April and Amy both exclaim at him.

"Okay," There's a tear threatening to fall as he throws it at Kendra. The jacket slowly flies away from Donnie's grasp as Kendra laughs, only for the jacket to be shredded once it's caught in the right rotor. She falls into the alley, her laptop landing near her. She reaches out to it, only for April to destroy her computer.

"Sorry Kendra, looks like your computer's...ah-wait for it...wait for it...crashed!" Kendra's face falls onto the ground not only at the joke, but at the fact that she ultimately failed. "Bam! I should write for the news!" She places an arm around Amy. "Do you miss your turtle? Because I can do one-liners in his absence."

"Nooo, I don't need another Leo," Amy pinches her nose with a groan as April's laughing. Seriously, one was enough for her, and that's saying a lot regarding the other turtles. Pieces of the jacket fall around them as Donnie holds out his hands, depressed by what he had to do.

"Alas, the classic tale of a well-meaning loner who just couldn't fit in with a band of well-dressed crooks..." His arms fall, Amy and April trying to comfort him.

"It's okay, Donnie. You'll always be in the April O'Neil Dorky Pals for Life club."

"And the Smith's Sweets club," Amy winks at him.

"Thanks, girls."

"No matter how stupid you dress," April adds in.

"Amen," Amy nods at her. The police then arrive.

"Hey, you wanna help me get this stuff back to the lair?" Donnie asks and they sigh as they load the stuff into Amy's bike.

"I say yes to you way too often." And so they leave behind Kendra to be arrested for the break-in.

* * *

"So the Purple Dragon geeks are no more?" Leo asks as Amy's telling him the story over the phone. She parks in front of her store, entering as she puts her keys down.

"Yup, and Donnie still blames us," She rolls her eyes at Donnie's denial.

"Eh, give him a few days and he'll get over it," Leo waves it off, his grin diminishing as he remembers that Amy was gone with Donnie for a while tonight. "Hey, pink-a-boo, you and Donnie aren't...?"

"Me and sci-fi turtle?" Amy scoffs at the thought, but she wondered why he asked in the first place. "No. Besides, he may be smart, but he's not my type."

"You have a type?" Leo perks up, sitting on his bed and she glances away at Chewbacon who's happily eating his dinner.

"Well...everyone does, right? It's just...different for everyone else," She bites her lip as she's definitely not gonna tell him that he's her type...not yet, anyway.

"Interesting," Leo smirks, leaning back as Amy rolls her eyes. Okay, she may like him, but his smugness was sometimes just as annoying as Raph's impulsiveness. At least Mikey was tolerable most of the time until he starts messing around in her shop.

"Whatever," She huffs, walking upstairs and leaving the door open for Chewbacon. "...Why do you even like me anyway? I'm not exactly dating material."

"Oh, I could go on for days," Leo chuckles, Amy trying not to blush as she glances at her kitchen. She just realized...that Leo's always doing nice things for her...so why hasn't she done anything nice for him? Granted, that's not usually her style, but...the one reason why she's so dedicated to her store is because of all of those smiling faces when they see her finished products. She wanted...she wanted to see that from Leo. After all, he deserves it for helping her with her mom...respecting her—when he's not being a flirty jerk—and listening to her personal problems, if she wanted to talk about him. It feels wrong to let that go unnoticed for Leo, and she needed to do something to redeem that.

"I like you because you're strong-willed."

She turns back to her phone as he's now just speaking. "What?"

"Yeah. You're very determined to do things your own way, even if Raph disagrees with them. Actually, I already like anyone who does that, so I should come up with something else..."

"No, no," Amy shakes her head slowly. "It's okay, that's...very nice of you to say."

Leo smiles to himself and Amy's smiling too. He could sense it from her despite not being on face-time. "Do you...want me to go on?"

"Huh?" Amy blushes as she approaches her kitchen, looking for one of her many recipe books. She opens a cabinet full of them. "No!"

"Just one more?" He pleads as she moves her finger to read off the titles.

"...Fine. You get one more," She huffs, but it was probably gonna be a lame-butt pick-up line again.

"I like you because you didn't freak out at me."

Amy pauses as naturally, she would've, but...she didn't. It was the first time that she ended up tolerating a mutant, and she's seen her fair share of mutants before and after she met the turtles and April. She twirls around an end from her bang silently, heaving a small sigh.

"I suppose I would've had I known that you guys were idiots when I saw you fight."

"Hey!" Leo protests and she giggles.

"All jokes aside...you guys were the first people who stayed with me...after learning about my mother," She murmurs into the phone, Leo now taking a pause himself. He never really thought he had to shun his lady for his mother being sick. That didn't make her any different, but he assumed that other people didn't see it that way...the very few that knew, at least.

"...Are you gonna be okay tonight?" He asks in concern as he remembered the last time Amy was there.

"I'm in my loft, so yes. I left her dinner before I came back. She was out doing groceries with the day nurse. It's...one of the few times she goes out."

He sighs in relief, playing with his toeless socks. "Just don't scare me like that again, okay, Ames? Do you understand how worried I get when you don't return my calls or when you call me looking scared out of your mind?"

Amy closes her eyes, touched at his concerned voice. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't do that. Don't apologize," Leo warns her as this was not her fault that her mother gained her disease. "You are not at fault for what happens because of her. Okay?"

"Okay, okay, lighten up. Geez," Amy scolds as she finally finds the book she was looking for.

"I will once you're safe by my standards."

Amy rolls her eyes, smiling a little at how much he cared. "Goodnight, Leon," She tells him playfully.

"Have sweet dreams, my lady~" He blows a kiss and she shakes her head, putting down her phone. She flips pages from her book, trying to find the right recipe that he would like...


	20. Pizza Pit

**Angel: You know the voice actor for Groundhog? He sounds like KO from OK KO to me, but I actually found out that she was on that short-lived sketch show from Disney XD, Right Now Kapow. Small world, they do sound similar. Betsy Sordaro DOES voice someone on OK KO, so I knew she was from that show. She was also on the Powerpuff Girls...reboot. Ugh. I feel so bad for her. I hope that show does not get a fourth season. Hopefully they'll release some more episodes before Christmas, but who knows what with happened today? Maybe they'll surprise us again next week with more episodes online. Also, the place that Amy likes, Lopardo's, is a real-life pizza place. I'm a fan of their meatlovers and chicken parm pizza. I was gonna put Domino's since I like that too, but nah.**

 **Also, can I just say how great it was to see both the 87 and the 2012 turtles referenced on Donnie's board? And this is only episode 11b. I give the show props for that, but not for the episode order and continuity issues. That's probably the only thing I dislike right now.**

 _It all started with a scratch._ A record scratches on the record player as three band members are gathered around. "This plan is so metal! Getting bitten by those glowing bugs at our show was the best thing that ever happened to this band," a female mutant dog crosses her arms as she's the leader of the band. She wears a white tank top, black vest, a red choker, and a red skirt.

"I can't wait to get my hands dirty!" A mutant groundhog exclaims, a mutant badger laughing.

"Once we hit these tour spots," The leader slams down, knocking down four chess pieces, "Everyone will know the name Digg," She grins as she has wild blonde hair, piercings, and red lipstick. "Fan roll call! Honey Badger." A large female badger plays guitar, having silver hair and a black and blue outfit. "Silent bass enforcer. Groundhog, drummer by day, wild card by night," The last female of the group has wild pink hair and black clothing. "And of course, me, your fearless leader Prairie Dog!"

Groundhog clicks her teeth and the pillar underneath her sinks. "Rock and roll!" Groundhog and Honey Badger look down at her as she's laying on the ground, her guitar laying on her body. Groundhog appears above her as she dug through.

"Sorry, I can't help myself. I just gotta dig!"

"The acoustics in this hole are insane!" Prairie Dog exclaims happily. "Check out my solo!" She starts jamming out, with the people on the surface gathered around for Pizza Week.

 _The moon was full like a big pie of pizza. And that can only mean one thing._ "Pizza Week," Raph sings as he jumps past the moon. Leo, Donnie, and Mikey all sing the line too, but Amy does not, rolling her eyes. They land in front of a building. "Pizza Week!" They all sing in unison and Amy grins as she can't help but clap. Even though the trip could've been better without the singing, they were actually pretty good.

"And scene," Donnie grins as Amy gets off her bike.

"Everybody, set your stomachs to 'I'm not stopping till I explode' mode. It's time we get our pizza on." To the turtles, Pizza Week was the greatest week of the year! For an entire week, pizza is celebrated by the best way possible, eating it.

"Get ready for the delicious flavors and complex emotions of our first stop!" Mikey announces, gesturing to himself. "And my personal favorite, Lou Mike Toney's Pizza!" He points to it...before it disappears entirely. "Nooooooo!" Mikey looks triggered as he starts to cry.

"Where'd it go?" Raph asks in confusion, Amy fidgeting as she's holding a white bag. It was her...gift to Leo. She spent days trying to figure what to make, but after she finally decided on something that he's bound to like, it was finally done. Sure, he might like it, but would he love it? He could be biased in his opinion since it's her.

"Oh I think it closed," Leo comments, Mikey holding his head. He glances at his lady, grinning. "What you got there, pink-a-boo?"

"Um," She scratches her cheek. "Well-"

"My phone says it's open until ten," Donnie states and Amy pouts at the interruption.

"Who would do this? Why, pizza supreme in the sky? Why do you take stuff like this?" No one says anything and he turns to them. "Why are you guys more upset?!" He pouts at them. In reality, that place was only his favorite while to them, it was okay.

"Oh man, it hurts me. I-I'm very sad," Donnie glances away, Raph fake crying.

"Yeah, um, they had...adequate flavors?" Amy asks slowly, as she doesn't really eat their pizza, let alone any pizza unless she's that tempted for her own favorite.

"You didn't like Lou Mike Toney's?!" He demands, Donnie putting an arm around his shoulder.

"I found a bug once and that was really it for me," Donnie explains gently, Mikey crying. "Okay, now that we've all moved on, let's get us some of my favorite, Tony Lou's Pizza!" Yes, the names are similar because all of the turtles' favorite pizzas are from relatives of the franchises. And like with Mikey's, Donnie's favorite pizza place disappears. He opens an eye, also triggered.

"No, no, no, no, no!"

"Nooooo!" Mikey shouts at another place gone.

"I only pretended to care when it happened to Mikey's favorite place, but now that it's happened to me...I hurt!"

Mikey hugs him in comfort. "Both our favorites were sink-holed! This is the worst Pizza Week EVER!"

"Oh come on," Amy waves it off, gesturing to another pizza place across the street. "Lopardo's is where it's at." Lopardo's is a cousin of the relatives. "Ah, I love his Spanish twists on pizza. The Chorizo sausage is my personal favorite, so let's go and eat...at Lopardo's!" Like Donnie and Mikey's, hers disappears too. "What. The. Shell?!" She drops to her knees as she gasps in horror, Mikey and Donnie screaming no with her.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! No me gusta! Screw you, pizza supreme, I thought we had a deal! What gives?!" She points to the sky and Leo pats her shoulder in comfort.

"That was my second best pizza," Leo frowns slightly as he and Amy eat that pizza together when they're playing board games.

"Psh, they're okay," Raph waves it off and she slowly turns to him, now triggered.

"What did you just say?" She growls at him. "How dare you! Lopardo's is-is my soul food! And now it's gone!" Tears fall down her cheeks, Raph backing away slightly as she's all emotional, which he's never seen until now.

"To lose one pizza place is just New York real estate, but to lose three pizza places is...a conspiracy that goes all the way to the top!" Donnie points at a conspiracy board at Lou Mike's Pizza in his Turtle Tank. "What do Lou Mike Toney's, Lopardo's, and Tony Lou's Pizzerias have in common?"

Mikey grips his blanket, looking around as he grits his teeth over his own loss.

"Besides all three being pizza places?" Leo asks, holding out some ice cream for Amy.

"Not even ice cream can redeem my loss..." She pouts sadly and Leo eyes the white plastic bag that she's still holding.

"So what is this?" He points to it.

"It's, ah-"

"Exactly!" Donnie points to Leo, both him and Amy glaring at him now for another interruption. "They are all pizza places, but not just any pizza places, three of our favorite pizza places! Now what's the key thing they have in common?" He points his stick at Raph, who doesn't know.

"Besides having the same name except for Mellie's, but in different order?"

"Do you think that's important?" Donnie scribbles on a notepad.

"No," Leo frowns at him, not getting it.

"Whatever!" Donnie throws away the paper, pointing to four different versions of turtles and Amy, one of them being a full-on blonde. Aside from the different heights and looks, they're all turtles, including the current selves. "We are the link between all these places," Donnie only has three of them marked, for the ones they lost. "Ergo, whoever's behind this, isn't only after pizza, they're after us! And clearly, we all know that it's Pizzasaurus! The evil spawn of the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot! It's taking over Pizza Week!"

Leo grabs him into a hold so that he can calm down. "Pizzasaurus? We've been over this. None of those things are real."

"Calm down," Raph tells them. "Everything's gonna be fine. We just need to eat," Raph crosses his arms. "So let's get to the next place as fast as possible. To the Shell Hogs!" Raph pulls down a lever and releases the repaired Shell Hogs. There's still only two, so two turtles would have to share one. Mikey and Leo rev up the bikes, Amy on her own as they drive down the alley. "Let's get our pizza on!" Raph exclaims as he and Mikey are sharing one, leaving Leo and Donnie with the other. Raph's sitting in the back since he's too tall to be driving it.

* * *

They arrive at Leo's favorite pizza place. "If only life were that simple," Raph sighs slowly.

"Take the pizza supreme to the sky! My favorite place, Mike Tony's favorite Lou pizza, is still here," Leo grins, Raph smiling.

"See? Everything's fine." He hears people screaming. _Everything was not fine._ The people inside all run out as Digg are there for some reason. The chef runs away with everyone.

"This must be the creatures destroying our pizza places!" Donnie deduces and Digg sees them.

"It's the man! Let's blow this joint before it kills our vibe!" Prairie Dog exclaims, thinking that the five are the police.

"Is that the same as dig? I dig digging! Ooo, I'm gonna dig dig dig!" They spin around, creating a hole in front of the pizza place and disappearing.

"Hey!" Raph exclaims and Donnie points.

"After them!" Leo and Mikey drive into the hole, screaming as they fall. Amy rolls her eyes and makes her bike fly, floating down after them.

"Why is this Pizza Week so hard?!" Raph shouts as with the previous weeks in the past years, they've never encountered something like this. The Shell Hogs drive around a hole, Amy following after them as they crash past the rock, shocking the Digg band. Raph sees them, Groundhog blowing a raspberry. "What the-it's them!" Groundhog digs to her right.

"Dig, dig, dig, dig, dig," she keeps repeating it as she disappears, Amy looking annoyed. She already thought this mutant was annoying with the whole digging thing. Raph turns to Leo, Amy, and Donnie behind him.

"You guys take the one on the right, we'll go left." Mikey and Raph follow after Groundhog while the others follow after Honey Badger.

"Cowabunga!" Leo cheers as he and Amy drive up a ramp. "So what's that bag you're carrying, my lady?"

"Not now!" Amy tells him as they had mutants to take care of. No one gets rid of her pizza place and lives to tell the story.

"Dig, dig dig!" Groundhog swipes as she continues digging like a regular groundhog would. Raph and Mikey follow after him, but it was like they were in a PacMan game the way she digs down, up, left, down, left, down, and up again. Mikey revs up the bike as they jump to the right, seeing the smoke from Groundhog. "Dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig!" She looks happy to be digging.

Meanwhile, Leo and Amy are driving side by side, Donnie looking around. "Where is she?!"

They hear laughing, looking up ahead. The three look behind them, cringing as Honey Badger is crawling right behind them. They all scream as she looks scary, being the tallest.

"Dig dig!" Groundhog glares at the light approaching, Mikey laughing evilly.

"I'm usually a peaceful turtle, but! You destroyed my favorite thing in the world," Mikey glares at him angrily, as he's taking this especially personally. Not for his favorite place, but for pizza itself being taken away from him. "You will feel pain!"

Groundhog just laughs, spinning around as Leo, Donnie, and Amy pop up out of nowhere, about to crash into each other. They do so, landing below and barely holding onto their rides. Leo sighs in relief that they didn't crash. He looks up to see speakers connected to a pole that's right underneath his favorite pizza place.

"Oh no, Mike Tony's!" They see Prairie Dog standing there hooking everything up.

"She's gonna soundwave through that pillar and take out the whole building! Get me close!" Donnie pulls out his staff as Amy drives faster, pulling out her own weapon. Leo and Amy drive up a rock wall as Prairie Dog plugs in her guitar.

"Rock and roll!" Leo and Amy jump behind her, the girl and Donnie jumping into the air. They prepare to swing at her. "Sound check!" They swing their hammers, but she dodges right past them. "Punk rock!" The music is loud enough to disrupt the ground, breaking the pillar. "So long, loser!" She spins around, disappearing as she digs through the rock. Amy and Donnie fall onto the ground, Mikey and Leo driving up to them.

"Drive!" Raph declares, Donnie and Amy getting on. They drive past all the falling rock, and manage to get out back onto the surface, only for Mike Tony's to be lost forever. They come to a stop, shocked as Leo screams in horror.

"Nooooooooo!" Leo screams, just as triggered as Mikey and Donnie. "Mike Tony's!" Leo sinks to his knees. "Why do they have to tear down everything that's beautiful in the world?"

 _Truth is, I had no answers. Just ideas._ "Mellie, boys, Pizza Week is not just a week. It is a week about family coming together. It's seven days of putting aside what makes us different and coming together as pizza lovers."

"You think we don't know what week is?" Donnie asks him, but he doesn't listen.

 _I wasn't sure they knew what a week was._ "FIVE WEEKDAYS! And a weekend. That culminate in me eating my favorite pizza, in the whole wide crazy world," Raph smiles in glee.

"Oh my god, if you shut up, I'll make you a cherry pie," Amy facepalms and he pumps his fist.

"Yes, it worked!"

She rolls her eyes. "Does he know that those mutants are on their way to sinkhole Mike and Lou, the brothers' Tony Pizza?" Leo asks, Raph's eyes widening.

"Say what now?"

"Didn't you hear those mutants say three down, one to go?" Leo wonders.

"Yeah, but they could be talking about anything," Raph chuckles nervously. "Right, Mellie?"

"Uh..." She stammers, looking away.

"RIGHT?!"

"Why are you asking me?!" She asks as he shakes her.

"Because you pay for our pizzas! Tell me, woman!" One of his eyes is twitching.

"Get off!"

* * *

Mike Lou Bro's Pizza is the last place, and they storm in wearing the same outfits they were wearing when they tried to get rid of the oozesquitoes. "This is a random health inspection! Everybody out!" Leo demands, but they continue eating like it's not important, the accordion player continuing to play.

"Health inspection?" Mike, the chef and owner, asks in surprise. His eyes look dismayed as a health inspection means trouble, which also means closure if anything was wrong.

"Sir, we've received reports that, uh..." Raph looks away as he can't break the news to his favorite pizza chef. Mike was a godsend to him, so breaking the news to him was not going to be easy. "I can't do it, guys. It'll ruin him."

"Don't look at me, health inspections are the worst," Amy holds up her hands in defense. But then again, she's gone at least a few years with no trouble, so she just made sure that she had the usual paperwork when people ask why a 14-and-a-half-year-old girl runs a business.

"I got this," Mikey grasps the paper, Raph looking sad. "I'll be Dr. Delicate Touch." Mikey walks up to the owner calmly. There's a small pause before he says something. "...You got bugs!" He points to a fake report and everyone screams. Raph frowns as Leo glances down at his smiling brother, everyone leaving the place.

"Bugs?!" Mike looks at the 'Official Health Report! You have bugs! F minus. Sorry...' health report. Amy rolls her eyes, as she could've used her recent one to pass it off as a fake, but that was a few days, so she still had to keep that up on the window. "This is the first time in 25 years I've ever had any kind of bug-"

"Okay fine, we're all having a bad day, get over it," Leo says quickly, pushing him to the exit.

"I just want to let you know, sir, we'll have your place back open so you can get back to serving high-quality pies in-"

"Enough!" Mikey closes the door shut and Amy sighs, looking down at the white plastic bag. With all these places disappearing, there's no way she'd have time to give to Leo now...she just hoped that he would like it...genuinely. She worked really hard on them, but now she's just sitting around waiting for her chance. Mikey turns to them with a crazed look on his face.

"Let's get back to exterminating!" Mikey laughs evilly, fire behind him. Soon, he would get his revenge!

"Should we be worried about him?" Donnie whispers to Leo and Amy.

"Probably," Leo states, glancing at Amy. "Now will you tell me what's in it?"

"No," She denies, looking away from him as she clutches onto it. It wasn't a good time since they're still trying to stop those punk mutants who have taken four pizza places. Not that she's upset, but...it's just a little frustrating not being able to give it to him with all the interruptions. Leo looks at her in concern before Mikey stands in front of them, looking like a mad scientist as he rubs his hands together.

"They're all gonna pay!" Amy backs away slightly as she thought she'd never see Mikey like that, and she doesn't want to.

* * *

Digg has planted the last of the speakers on the final pillar. "Soon, everyone will know our name: Digg! Who should we get to direct our first music video?"

That question goes unanswered as the turtles and Amy have dug through, using Donnie's drill that's been mentioned several times. They land underneath the drill, pulling out their weapons. "Can we fight 'em with the drill?" Raph glances at Donnie.

"Heh, no. It would be far too effective," Donnie makes the drill disappear. "Your personal vendetta against us is over!" He narrows his eyes at the trio.

"What are you idiots talking about? We never met you before today," Prairie Dog denies, as she would've remembered seeing them.

Raph just laughs at her denial. "Suuure."

"Raph, I think she's telling the tr-"

"ATTACK!" Raph interrupts, pointing at them and Amy groans as they all jump towards the band.

"Cowabunga!"

Honey Badger appears in front of her bandmates and they all scream, landing in front of the speaker. They all jump away as she lands where they were standing. They all run around like maniacs as they try to get away from Honey Badger. "Dig," Groundhog repeats as she appears from everywhere around Amy and Mikey. Amy's ax turns into a hammer and she plays whack-a-mole with Groundhog, unfortunately missing.

"Stop saying that!" Mikey exclaims as he's also annoyed with Groundhog.

"If I hear that one more time," Amy threatens before they dig after her.

"Alright," Donnie demands from Prairie Dog as she caught his staff. "Why are you ruining Pizza Week?!"

"Who cares about pizza?" Prairie asks him, as she only cares about the band. It's practically her lifestyle. "We're an underappreciated band."

"That hates pizza!" Donnie finishes and she glances around.

"Why are you so focused on the pizza? We're taking out the pillars," She informs him and he looks confused.

"Pillars?"

"Once we take out this last support pillar, the Kaufman Coliseum will sink down, giving us a captive audience to rock out for!" She plays on her guitar, cheering.

"Time out," Raph calls out, breaking her fantasy. "So you're saying this isn't a multi-level conspiracy, that may or may not involve the mayor or the illuminati, or send us around taking down out our five favorite pizza places?!" Raph asks in disbelief, now triggered like his brothers and Amy.

"No," Prairie shakes her head. "We don't even like pizza, dude."

"Unless pizza's for digging!" Groundhog chuckles and Amy turns her weapon into a laser blaster.

"If you say anything involving digging again, I'll blast your head off!" She grins widely and Groundhog backs away, scared. Leo pushes her arm gently down.

"She-she won't do that," he chuckles nervously. Or at least he thinks she won't.

"So," Mikey appears behind them. "You're saying that not only did you destroy everything I love in the world, BUT YOU DIDN'T EVEN HAVE THE COMMON COURTESY TO KNOW YOU'RE DOING IT?!"

Raph holds him back from doing anything else. "You guys just wanna play a gig?" Raph asks and Groundhog nods.

"Yes! And gig rhymes with-" Amy's eyes catch on fire and she keeps her mouth shut. Not only was she gonna say it, but she was irritated that they took their favorite pizza places for their music.

* * *

 _Like I said, Pizza Week is a magical time. It can bring families back together._ "For too long, our family has been torn apart by pizza," Mike announces as his brothers, cousin, and sister are standing in front of a new place. "But no more! Today, we come together as famous Lopardo's, Lou, Mike, Toney, Tony's Pizza!" They snip off the ribbon. _It can create new beginnings._ Since their pizza places couldn't be brought back, they decided to bring them together as one for everyone to enjoy. "Hit it, my costumed friends!"

"One two three four!" Digg plays their long-awaited gig, and they turn out to be not so bad. No one even questioned that they're mutants. After all, if Leo could be in a video, then surely mutants could be playing public gigs. Prairie Dog sings a song called 'Pizza Pit' to celebrate the grand opening. People eat happily as they listen. It could make dreams come true. Raph changes the F minutes to an A plus. "And that's how for one week, or five weekdays and two weekend days, Pizza Week was saved, by me."

"Who are you talking to?" Leo wonders as they're all enjoying a slice in the early morning, sitting on a rooftop together. Raph just winks at the screen, continuing to enjoy their pizza. Leo looks down at the bag that Amy's still holding. "Okay, tell me, tell me."

"Um," Amy looks nervous, holding it out to him. "Here..."

Leo gasps sharply. "It's for me?!"

"Don't make a big deal out of it," She huffs, crossing her arms as the other turtles are staring at them in shock that Amy gave him something. "It's for...you know," She glances at Leo. "Being my friend and helping me out with my mother..."

"What's she talking about?" Mikey whispers, the other two shrugging. Leo opens it and looks in awe at the chocolate brownies.

"Oh snap! Look at this, I got a girl making me brownies!" Leo brags to the others, who drop their pizza slices. Leo takes one and Amy looks away as his brain explodes. "Whoa..."

"Let me just take that back if you don't like it-"

"No way! These are awesome! There's chocolate chips in these!" He scarfs them down and Amy chuckles. Donnie reaches out to grab one, but Leo smacks his hand away. The other turtles pout.

"How come we don't get special treats?" Raph complains, Amy turning to them.

"Maybe if you weren't so rude while trying to boss me around..." She huffs.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," He denies as she rolls her eyes.

"What about us?!" Mikey puts his arm around Donnie.

"Ehh," Amy waves a hand, as Donnie still blamed her for that whole purple jacket thing. And Mikey...actually, she doesn't have a reason for him. Maybe she would bake a cake for him one day. Leo hugs her tightly, spinning her around.

"Thank you, my lady~! I love them!"

"Really?" She asks happily, clearing her throat. "I mean, good. I spent days."

Leo beams that she took so much time to bake something for him. "Hey, give us some," Raph demands, Leo hugging the box as he still has some left.

"No way! These are mine, she baked them for me!"

Amy shakes her head at them before she feels something soft on her cheek. She turns to Leo, who pulls away from her face, grinning. "These are the best pastries I've ever had. Thank you."

"Eh heh...you're welcome," Amy places a hand on her cheek where his lips touched it. Maybe she'll make something for him again one day. As she's smiling, none of them notice the Pizzasaurus walking past them...it's real. It's out there...waiting...


	21. Smart Lair (finally!)

**For the authors who are now just deciding to write for this show, they're lucky because they don't have to constantly change the order around like I have to. At least this is only episode 21, though, so I'm not too bothered by this right now...that may change though if they don't stick to the order again. And something tells me that they'll keep doing this for season 1. Hopefully season 2 doesn't meet the same fate.**

 **Remember, in episode 23 (spoiler) Amy is staying with the turtles temporarily, so if anyone's confused on why she's not living in the lair, this is episode 21. The events of episode 23 hasn't happened yet.**

 **Also...this show is getting an animated movie. Not sure how it'll pan out since this is supposed to be on Netflix and the last animated movie for TMNT was back in 2007. Usually, cartoons don't get movies until they're several seasons in. Rise of TMNT hasn't even finished season 1! Heck, we're not even halfway through it!**

 **For me, I just hope that they know what they're doing, because several Netflix movies have had no sense or even stick to their own continuity as of late. *coughs* Bird Box, Death Note, and Bright were really inconsistent in their rules. *cough cough***

 **Also, we've been getting a slew of new episode titles for the next season. How about you guys calm down a bit and give us more episode titles for _this_ season? I get that they're ambitious about this show, but they also need to get their priorities in order. That's just me. Looking back now, I see that they did add another episode title called Bullhop, so disregard what I just said. I ate my own words XD. Judging by the title alone, I wonder if this has to do with that mutant bull that got mutated in Bug Busters in the beginning of that episode. The one that was trying to keep the place clean and who Leo was trying to help? But that's just speculation, it might be a stretch.**

Donnie is mimicking a screaming woman as Mikey and Leo are roleplaying as mummies. "We are mummies. Give us your soul."

"Help me, Lou Jitsu," Donnie says in fake distress.

"Oh yeah!" They turn to Raph jumping towards them. "Who's your daddy, mummies?"

"Oh no," The two younger brothers say in unison as Raph tackles them. Donnie groans as he walks past them.

"Man, I never get to be a mummy!" He's always playing the damsel in distress whenever they roleplay this movie.

"Fine," Mikey puts an arm around him, smiling. "Be a mummy. You can be Tazan the Mummy King!" He gives Donnie a noogie.

"Where do you four think you are going?" They turn around to Splinter sitting in his chair.

"A rooftop showing of the rare Lou Jitsu Meets the Mummy Ninja!" Mikey explains, the others groaning like mummies. "Amy should be here any minute to take us."

"Let me know how it is...after you see it some other time because tonight you all stay in and clean!"

"No, the classic pause followed by a rug foiled our plans! I hate those," Donnie complains, sagging.

"Come on, Pops, we cleaned last year," Leo replies smugly. Besides, he didn't want to, he wanted to see Amy...

"Yeah, plus it ain't even dirty." Raph looks around at the dirty fly-surrounded couch and the moldy pizza.

"Uh, we should find the turtles who did that and get them to clean up," Leo smirks, hoping to get out of this.

"Now we're gonna miss the movie!" Mikey exclaims, tears falling down his eyes at the thought of chores.

"Not necessarily," Donnie hovers his hand over his wrist computer. "I may have a-"

"Please don't say fix, bro," Leo tells him, hands on his hips.

"A fix, bro," Donnie finishes, Leo groaning.

"We'll be here all night fixing your fix."

"Scoff!" Donnie retorts back, "Prepare to-"

"Nah, nah, nah, and don't say eateth thy words," Raph interrupts this time.

"Eateth thy words," Donnie repeats, narrowing his eyes in confidence.

"You always say that, but we never do," Raph shakes his head. Leo snatches Donnie's wrist computer and Donnie tries to grab it.

"Not amusing Leo." Leo kicks it using his foot.

"Relax, bud. Just saving ya from another epic fail. It's all good."

Donnie snatches it back, glaring at Leo before putting it back on. "Despite your juvenile antics and complete lack of faith," He activates something that's sitting on the table. "I give you all Shelldon." Shelldon is a floating robot head.

"Good morrow, kind sirs," He greets politely.

"Uh oh," Leo comments worriedly.

"I'm here," Amy calls out as she walks in. She's wearing a light blue elbow-length denim jacket with a long-sleeved black sweater, which is tucked in. Her skirt is a light purple as she has ankle-length black boots, a white purse over her shoulder. Her hair is in a high ponytail.

"My lady!" Leo says in surprise at her clothing.

"Ah, Miss Amelia. Pleasure to meet you," Shelldon greets her and she steps back a bit.

"What's up with the butler robot?"

"Shelldon is our automated smart lair," Donnie continues and Amy turns right back around.

"If _you_ invented it, I'm out. Bai."

"Hey, wait a minute," Donnie steps in front of her, blocking her path. "You haven't seen his potential."

"Donnie, I admire your ambition and intellect."

"Oh thank you," He smiles a bit, Leo crossing his arms.

"But your inventions don't have the best track record," Amy points a finger to his plastron. "Remember when you built me that double oven last week?"

"Oh come on, you couldn't predict that the oven would come to life."

"It tried to cook us into pies," Mikey speaks up.

"I don't want to stay around for this one to backfire again." Amy rolls her eyes.

"Just watch," Donnie claps and Shelldon emits cleaning supplies, with two holes opening up in the brick. Mini vacuums come out from them. "Here to make our lives comfy, cozy, and completely free of menial chores."

Soon, the lair is squeaky clean, to everyone's shock. "Applause. And applause. And waiting for your applause."

The four clap, impressed.

"Okay," Splinter says slowly, also slightly impressed. "But what can he do for me?"

"With my help, snacks are only a split-second away."

Splinter's chair spins around. "Hey! No no no!" The chair springs Splinter out of it and he screams, zipping past them. "Hey!" A plate of snacks comes out from a wall and Splinter grabs them, landing back on his chair with a thump. "Woohoo! I never have to use my legs again! Good job, Purple!"

Amy rolls her eyes, arms crossed. "Okay, good for you guys, but-"

"Oh, I haven't forgotten you, Miss Amelia. With my assistance, you never have to work again, giving more time to spend with your friends." Suddenly, another Shelldon appears next to him, flying past Amy out the lair. A monitor appears in front of Amy and she watches in shock as the second Shelldon starts to do her work.

"Wow. Thanks Shelldon."

"Allow me to tidy up, lady and gentlemen. And if you'd like, I can play that Lou Jitsu movie for you now."

The screen immediately turns to the beginning of the movie, everyone except Donnie shouting in excitement. Snacks appear in front of them.

"What?!"

"Oh, Shelldon is crushing it, Donnie."

A bowl of ice cream appears in front of Amy and she places her hands on her cheeks, eyes shining.

"What, Raphael?" Donnie smirks, hand to his hear as they're chowing down on snacks. "I cannot hear you over you eatething thy words. Zing!"

Shelldon laughs at his bragging. "Good one, sir."

* * *

In the arcade, Mikey and Donnie are playing a game against each other. "Oh yeah!" Mikey grins as he's winning. A tennis ball cannon is shooting at Leo and Raph's shells. Across from them, Leo can see Amy laying on a chair, in a bathrobe. Her hair is tied up in a towel as her face is covered in green, cucumbers over her eyes. She's getting a facial as Chewbacon is getting a hand massage. Amy sighs in content at her spa treatment.

"How bout some music, Shelly baby?" Raph questions and Shelldon plays some techno music. "Ugh! You got anything less ear-bleeding? This is awful!"

"Correction, this is Master Donnie's number one playlist."

"Master Donnie?" Amy asks, lifting up a cucumber.

"My fav songs to which I may jammy-jam," Donnie shuffles his shoulders.

"Great massage, bro," Leo calls out. "You know, this is your first non-boneheaded invention."

Shelldon gasps sharply, flying in front of the red-eared slider. "How dast you insult one as selfless and pure as Master Donatello?"

Amy rolls her eyes as Donnie grins at the praise. "What he said."

"Coolax. I'm just razing him, bud," Leo reassures the robot.

"Are we talking or crazy coptering?" Mikey asks confidently. "I'm laying the hurt on you here, bro."

"No, no, no, no, I will not be defeated!" Donnie exclaims, grinning as Mikey is launched out of his seat, giving Donnie the win. "Ha ha."

"What was that?" Mikey demands as he's leaning against one of the games. "Did Shelldon make my game glitch?"

"I would never," Shelldon says innocently, shaking his head.

"He would never!" Donnie defends as he's declared the winner. "Oh look, I won the game." He fists Shelldon's mouth. "A victory massage and manicure please, Shelldon," Donnie claps, walking over to Raph and Leo. The cannon switches to hit Donnie's shell instead of his brothers, a robot moving away from Amy to give Donnie a manicure.

"Hey!" Leo calls out.

"Where'd my relax go?" Raph demands.

"And my manicure?" Amy sits up as the robot files Donnie's fingers.

"Ohh, yeah, tennis ball massages and manicures are the best. Oh yeah."

"You don't even have nails!" Amy says to him in disbelief.

"Hey, did you program him to be your best bud or something?" Leo asks skeptically.

"I would never!"

"He would never," Shelldon repeats, Donnie grinning at them.

"Please, nothing is more important to me than the happiness and comfort of my brothers and one of my best friends," Donnie stands up slightly, emitting the tennis balls at Leo's face. Raph laughs until he gets hit too. Amy gets facial mask sprayed at her.

"Hey, stop!"

For Donnie, it was payback for doubting him. Revenge is sweet.

* * *

A bowl of soup is waiting for Splinter as he's catapulted back to his chair. The soup lands back in his bowl and he takes a sip before spitting it out. "My hot soup is now only lukewarm hot! Aka cold," He throws the bowl to a Lou Jitsu cut out.

"Humblest apologizes," Shelldon floats over to him. "Perhaps this new upgrade I installed may help."

A flying microwave with Shelldon's symbol on it lands in front of Splinter. "Flying microwave? What is next, talking waffle irons?" A new bowl of soup is presented to him, hot and ready.

"Hot soup!" He cheers, taking the bowl in glee.

* * *

Mikey, Raph, Leo, and Amy walk past the kitchen, the turtles covered in bandages from the tennis balls. Amy shakes off the remaining facial mixture. They grumble until they sniff the air, turning around.

"Pizza!" The turtles cheer at the large stack of pizzas. When Mikey goes to grab it, he gets a laser to the hand.

"Youch!" He turns to the vacuums. "The vacuums have lasers?!"

"Those are Master Donatello's slices," Shelldon explains and Raph waves a hand.

"Whoa, whoa, sorry Shelly. House rules: leftovers are fair game."

"I learned that the hard way," Amy mutters, crossing her arms. Raph reaches out and his hand gets hit with a laser too.

"Hey!" He groans in annoyance as he holds his arm. "You asked for it. Boys, Mellie!"

They smirk and kick away the vacuums. "Too easy. Computers aren't so smart."

The vacuums fly behind them, turning to them. They fire straight at them and the four scream as they run out of the kitchen.

"I'm starting to think this whole Shelldon smart lair thing is a scam. Donnie is just getting back on us for picking on him," Leo speaks up as Amy pulls out her phone.

"Never."

They shout in slight fear as they turn around to Shelldon, the microwave underneath the head as if acting as a body.

"He's too beautiful for that. I promise, I'm here to serve all of you. Right after I deliver Master Donatello all the pizza." The microwave flies past them.

"Uh, the microwave flies?"

"What?!" Raph demands as Shelldon's head flies past without another head.

"A pizza butler? It is good to be Donnie," Mikey comments and Amy's eyes widen.

"No no! Shelldon's not doing any work, they're just leaving! I gotta go, bye guys!" She quickly grabs her purse and runs out the entrance. Leo whines, crossing his arms. Not only is Shelldon favoring Donnie, but now Amy can't hang out with him anymore...

* * *

Shelldon is playing Donnie's favorite music very loudly at nighttime. "You are the greatest, Donatello. And strongest. And hunkiest."

Donnie snores peacefully to the mantra, a pizza box laying on his plastron. "You are a real dreamboat. You are the greatest turtle, Donatello. And strongest."

A vacuum loudly passes by Mikey's hammock. "And hunkiest." Mikey tries to cover his ears. "You are a real dreamboat." He covers his head with the pillow, but it's clear that he's not getting any sleep.

"You are the greatest turtle, Donatello."

Leo pouts as he has a hand to his cheek, his eye mask laying above his eyes. "And strongest."

His shelf falls on his head. "And hunkiest." Leo groans, glaring at the vacuum. "You are a real dreamboat."

Raph opens his tired eyes. "You are the greatest turtle, Donatello." He groans into his pillow. "And strongest."

"And hunkiest." Amy's wide eyes look up at the ceiling, her hair a mess at the loud music. "You are a real dreamboat."

Amy throws a pillow at the moving vacuum, but it still speaks. "You are the greatest turtle, Donatello."

She drags her hands down her face, irritated as she sits up.

* * *

"I can't live like this!" Raph exclaims to Leo and Mikey. "Shelldon's turning our home into Donnie-land!"

"We gotta take Donnie down a peg," Leo replies, legs crossed.

"But how? He's so brave and strong and he's such a dreamboat!" Mikey lays his head on Leo's legs. "Wait, why did I just say that?"

"Oh, you guys can't sleep either," The three turtles turn to Amy walking in with a cup of coffee.

"He got you too, huh?" Leo asks with a sigh.

"His robot won't shut up about how great he is," She grunts as she takes a sip. "You know, I was all for the treatment we were getting, but I don't like how we're getting the short end of the sti-" She looks down at Leo as she sees his maskless eyes. She looks away, trying not to blush.

"Too bad Shelldon doesn't love our favorite things," Raph mutters and Leo gets an idea.

"That's it! We should beat Donnie at his own game."

"I don't know. Maybe we should talk to Donnie instead," Amy frowns uncertainly.

"What? He's not gonna do anything, he'll just deny it. Do you want another sleepless night?" Leo looks up at her and she says nothing. She did want the perks again...as much as she hated to admit it, working takes up most of her free time.

While Shelldon is charging in Donnie's lab, a shadow engulfs him. He opens his eyes. "Excuse me, lady and gentlemen. May I help you?"

"Ha, we are good, my friend," Leo leans forward. "Red wire here. Blue wire there. Chippy thingy into the thingy. Reprogramulating is easy!"

"I'm not sure this is-whoa ho ho! Gnarly upgrades, dudes and dudette!"

* * *

The next morning, Splinter is just finishing his breakfast as he's watching his commercials. "You know, I could really go for an ivory-field woodpecker egg omelet."

"Sorry bro, like, those went extinct in 94." Shelldon laughs as he has a new tone of voice, sounding like almost a surfer. He also suspiciously has a purple mask tied around him...

"I hear problems, but not solutions," Splinter sings as he leans forward to Shelldon's head. "And what is wrong with your voice?"

There's a beep and upgrades are made to the microwave. "A little tweakage to the wave, and extinct eggs coming right up!"

The microwave zips past Splinter, disappearing right into the wall. Splinter hears something next to him, turning as the microwave zips back in front of him, holding three green spotted eggs.

"Yummy in my tummy!" The eggs start to shake and he opens his eyes as the eggs hatch, revealing baby Raptors. "Dinosaurs? You time traveled!" He sits up to look at the microwave. Oh, my dream of traveling through time solving mysteries with a microwave might still come true!"

"Yeah, okay, old man," Shelldon dismisses as the microwave zips past the kitchen. Leo, Mikey, Raph, and Amy are in there, eating burritos.

"Best brother ever!" Mikey cheers as Donnie comes inside, having just woken up.

"I've always thought so."

"Not you. Shelldon," Mikey corrects himself.

"Back at you, Mikey! Too bad our buzzkill sixth wheel had to crash the party," Shelldon retorts.

"That is an unexpectedly harsh greeting," Donnie glances away, but thinks nothing of it. "Now then, what is for brekkie today?"

"Burritos!" Mikey sings, holding one up as some beans fall on his head.

"Tempting, but my culinary needs are more refined. One flavorless juice, Shelldon."

"Fiiiiiiiine," Shelldon rolls his eyes in annoyance. "Ugh." A blender appears in front of Donnie. "Flavorless juice is served." However, the blender instead sprays all over Donnie. The others laugh at him as he wipes himself off.

"You were right, this was a fun way to get back at him," Amy whispers to the others with a grin.

"I demand to be cleansed immediately," Donnie tries a more assertive approach.

"Okie dokie," Shelldon says nonchalantly, the sink spraying a huge blast of water at Donnie and knocking him to the wall.

"No, no, no, no! Not actually cleansing me!"

"Uh huh," Mikey replies as the others continue to laugh. "No fun when Shelldon isn't doing what you like, is it, D?"

"What have you rapscallions done?" Donnie demands, gritting his teeth as he's now soaking wet. He points an accusing finger at them. "Did you mess with his programming?"

"We would never!" The four say in unison innocently.

"They would never," Shelldon repeats and Raph turns to him.

"Shelly, music."

Instead of Donnie's favorite, Shelldon plays a more relaxed tune. Raph and Mikey bop their heads to the music, Leo grabbing Amy and spinning around. She laughs at him.

"Check this out, guys. Dance, Donnie," The vacuums surround Donnie.

"No, no lasers!" They zap at his feet, making him dance. "And more importantly, turn off that music!"

"Nice moves, Donnie."

"Okay, okay, okay, okay!" Donnie shouts in protest.

"Well played, Shelly, but you can stop now."

"Yeah, I think the guys and I have had enough," Amy giggles as she lets go of Leo. "As their friend, I know when Donnie's had his fill."

"Sorry R-Dawg, party's just getting started~ As soon as I give Donnie the boot, us real bros can bro out! Oh, and Amy too. She's not a bro."

"What?" Amy asks in confusion as she and Donnie are both hit with lasers.

"Okay, that's enough. Time to chill, Shelldon," Leo demands as the other two narrow their eyes. Enough was enough. Someone could get hurt. "Joke's over." They jump forward, saving Donnie and Amy as they kick the vacuums away.

"Come on, bros," The vacuums join together behind Shelldon. "Just let me turn Donnie and Amy into dust and then I can be your fourth brother! Let me just finish 'em off," They're now looking at a large vacuum, Amy panting slightly as she stares at it in fear. "It'll be excellent!"

"You four messed with his circuitry!" Donnie says in realization.

"We would never," The three turtles deny, as they didn't want to hear Donnie's 'I told you so.'

"They. Would. Never."

The vacuum moves towards them and Leo grabs Amy's hand, running off with her as the others follow. The vacuum can't past the door, however, as it's too big. It tries to exit, but it can't as it hits the walls.

The five pant in the skate park before Shelldon approaches them. "Hey, there you guys are."

"You can't be our fourth brother!" Mikey points at him, Leo standing in front of Amy.

"Beg to differ with you, bros," Shelldon ascends to the roof. "Like it or not, I'm in and Amy and Donnie are out!" He blocks the sun from coming in as all his weapons descend towards them.

"Just admit it, Donnie," Raph turns to the softshell, "You made him favor you over us!"

"You made him try to vaporize me!" Donnie accuses back.

"Now? W-We're doing this now?" Amy asks them in disbelief.

"Enough whining, you two," Shelldon rolls his eyes, showing all his weapons to them. The claws thrust forward and they jump away. "I love having brothers!"

"Punches!" Leo exclaims as they all fend themselves off.

"Awesome! This is like a fun game of tag except with punches." Shelldon grabs Leo, Mikey, and Raph, leaving Donnie and Amy on their own. He slams the three into the wall.

"Oh no," Donnie whispers, both him and Amy turning around. "No, no, no, no!" He's restrained and pulled right into the ground, Amy getting caught in a claw. She's lifted slightly into the air and she struggles as an electric stick comes and zaps her. Donnie tries to get out as he's lifted up to Shelldon on a makeshift lab table. Surgical tools come near him, a deadly laser lifting up to Amy, threatening to zap her in half.

"Time to snip a bridge off the belly tree!" A saw is going right towards Donnie, Amy sweating at the incoming laser.

"If I am to perish, tell me the truth, brethren. You reprogrammed him. I promise, no hard feelings."

"Don't fall for it," Leo whispers to the others.

"I'm about to be cut in half," Amy hisses lowly as she turns to them, still getting shocked by the stick. "Deny it now, and I will haunt you until you die."

"Okay fine. We did," Mikey tells him.

"I knew it! Hard feelings! MASSIVE HARD FEELINGS! Well at least I shall go to my end knowing I was the better brother."

"No way, you totally programmed me to favor you," Shelldon replies.

"I knew it!" Mikey and Leo say in unison.

Donnie and Amy scream as they're about to meet their doom.

"Shelldon, no, stop," Raph calls out, getting an idea. "If you really wanna be our fourth brother, Shelly, fly your microwave butler on over. It's burrito time."

"Yeah bro!" Mikey catches on.

"That would so hit the spot, bro-ham."

Raph sweats a little as Shelldon narrows his eyes. He looks at the sweating turtles. "Oh, why didn't you say so, bud? Burritos coming right up for my bros."

Raph yells as he grabs the microwave, throwing it right at Shelldon. "Not cool, bro!"

The shock of the microwave shuts Shelldon down, Amy being dropped near Donnie. She groans as she sits up, holding her head.

"Whoa! Man, what a day. Great invention, Donnie," Raph looks to his younger brother, "Now you just gotta invent something to clean up all of Shelldon's mess."

"This sounds like a job for Shelldon 2.0."

"NO!" The others shout at him.

"Which will not play favorites," Donnie says quickly, not wanting another disaster like just now.

"What did you do?" Splinter demands as he sees the broken microwave. "You destroyed my detective microwave friend!"

"We would never," Leo, Mikey, Raph, and Amy shake their heads.

"They would never," Donnie adds in, the brunette sneaking away quietly. She was not taking the fall for this. This is what happens when they don't listen.

* * *

Amy was cleaning up her shop (since Shelldon moved parts of himself there) with a broom when her phone rang. Chewbacon opens an eye as she picks up her phone from the counter. She shakes her head as it's Leo's number. What he wanted, she had no clue, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to answer.

"Yes, Leo?"

Chewbacon huffs in jealousy, setting his head back down on his pillow.

"My lady!" Leo grins as soon as she answers. "I was sitting here thinking, what's gonna cure my boredom?"

"Watching a Lou Jitsu movie while wearing a unicorn onesie?" Her lips turn into an amused smirk.

"No...but that's not a bad idea. I haven't baked with you yet!"

"Bake? With me?" She asks in surprise. "You've never asked that before..."

"Yeah, but...I wanna learn more about it."

"What about Mikey?"

Leo scoffs at the thought. "He'll never let me hear the end of it if I ask him. Besides...I wanna do it with you."

Amy tries not to smile at his confession. She had to admit, she had been wanting a chance to bake in their kitchen with someone else. And with Leo...it could be fun. His playful wit could make things interesting.

"Well...okay. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Oh, this is gonna be great! Oh, and uh...sorry for Shelldon trying to kill you."

"Eh. Wouldn't be the first time my life was at risk," Amy shrugs, remembering Big Mama trying to mutate her.

* * *

Raph, Mikey, and Donnie are peeking in the kitchen, not sure if what they're seeing is a mirage. It had to be, right? There's no way those two would do that...

"Is Amy...really baking with Leo?" Mikey whispers to his older brothers.

"She must be a clone," Raph crosses his arms.

"Hmm, that would be interesting," Donnie rubs his chin.

"Shh, Leo's saying something."

"So what are we baking again?" Leo asks, leaning against the counter, his left elbow on the platform. He's reading the cookbook using the other hand as Amy is getting the ingredients ready. She's wearing a white apron over her outfit.

"They're called blondies," She rolls her eyes playfully.

"Which are?" He looks up at her, raising a brow.

"Dessert bars. Kinda like brownies, but instead, there's no cocoa in them. Instead you use vanilla," She explains and Leo chuckles slightly. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just...they remind me of you. You know, the hair streaks," Leo points to her ends and her bangs. Amy looks at her hair and stifles a laugh. "Have you ever baked with someone else before?"

"My family, yes. But never with a friend," She smiles at him and all turtles' mouths open in shock that she used that word. Leo shakes his head, snapping out of it.

"When did you dye it, anyway?"

She plugs in the electric mixer. "My mother did it. Before...you know," She glances at him and he nods. "Since I was the most aspiring baker out of three children, she wanted me to embrace that by changing my look a little."

"I think pink would've been better. You are my pink-a-boo~" Leo puckers his lips at the nickname, his brothers facepalming.

"Not-Not good flirting. At all," Donnie deadpans as Mikey shakes his head, closing his eyes.

"He's just going to have to accept that she doesn't like him that way."

"And when it does, we'll cheer him up...by saying that we were right," Raph speaks up.

"No thanks. I actually like the blonde streaks better, though it took a while to convince my dad to let me keep them," Amy chuckles at the memory, clapping her hands. "Alright! I think we have everything, including chocolate chips for flavor. Let's get started!"

She has one and a half sticks of unsalted butter (melted and cooled), with some of it being for the pan. There's also one and a half cups all-purpose flour, one teaspoon of baking powder, one half teaspoon of kosher salt, one and a half cups of packed dark brown sugar, one teaspoon of vanilla extract, two large eggs lightly beaten, one half cup of toasted walnuts coarsely chopped, and finally one cup plus two tablespoons of bittersweet chocolate chips.

"It says to whisk the baking powder, flour, and salt together."

"Naturally dry ingredients would go first," Amy pours the three together and starts the mixer. "You also don't want to stand too close because of-"

Leo slides it closer and the flour sprays onto her apron and her left cheek. He gasps slightly as she's looking at herself, her mouth open in shock.

"Leo!" She starts laughing to his surprise. "I can't believe you just did that!"

"Wait, you're not mad?"

"She's not mad?" The others ask in unison. Luckily she didn't hear them because of her continued laughter.

"No. Like my mother used to say, you can't do a good job unless you get a little dirty yourself." Amy takes a bit of brown sugar, throwing it at Leo's streaks. He lets out a sharp gasp at his dirty streaks.

"Amy! My streaks look like I got poop on them!"

"That's an improvement," She snickers, crossing her arms.

"Joke's on you, I got on flour on you because I meant it."

Amy gasps sharply as she looks at him in disbelief. "You are such a-!" She starts laughing and he laughs with her. Leo takes a curious glance at her and he sees that big smile, trying not to blush at how cute she looked.

 _She's...actually smiling...in a meaningful way..._

"What is happening?" Splinter asks as he had heard the laughter, staring at the two laughing friends.

"I don't know, Pops. I don't know," Raph answers skeptically, closing his eyes.

"Does this mean Leo actually might get Amy to...like like him?" Mikey looks up at them.

"If we're all thinking the same thing, I'm definitely going to lose the bet we have on them," Donnie looks away, crossing his arms.

 **If I take too long to update past the episode's premiere, that means I haven't tracked it down and that they're taking _way_ too long to put it up online. Like with this one. An entire week and they didn't bother to put it up until early this morning. Ridiculous.**


	22. Hot Soup: The Game

In the lair, the turtles are watching a commercial using Donnie's tablet, Amy reading a fashion magazine as she leans against one of the ramps of the skate park. "Action star Lou Jitsu is back, in Hot Soup: The Game!"

Lou Jitsu sniffs some soup, sighing in delight right before it's taken away from him. He's wearing overalls over his regular outfit. He gasps, turning around to see that it's one of his villains.

"Ha ha! Your soup is mine!" Using the elevator, he ascends to the top, Lou Jitsu pointing up at him.

"I will fight my way up to you, boss level!" He declares, turning to some other enemies.

"60 levels of chop socky violence!"

Lou Jitsu punches a construction worker, kicking another before he grabs the three of them. "Hot soup!" He spins around and throws them into a mixer. They're spun around and Lou Jitsu holds out the game cartridge. The turtles all gasp in awe, Mikey's eyes shining.

"Lou Jitsu was in a video game?!" Donnie asks in surprise.

"We gotta get it, we gotta get it! Amy, if you pay, can we get an IOU?"

"I'm sure you'll find something worthy of how much it's worth to pay me back with," Amy waves it off, still looking at her magazine.

"Aw yeah! Accessing worldwide intertubes," Mikey goes into EBay. "Hm, Lou Jitsu chucks, Lou Jitsu sunglasses-"

"Buy 'em for me," The brunette calls out and he adds them to her account cart.

"Oh, here it is! Lou Jitsu's Hot Soup: The Game. Montes Auction House. Buy it now! Click!" Mikey hardly presses buy to make sure it goes through. "Oh baby! We are the proud owners of one very old, mint condition copy of Hot Soup: The Game!"

"Wait a minute," Raph looks at him skeptically as he recalls something, "You bought it at an auction house? How are we gonna pick it up with uh...this whole situation?" Raph waves around his face, gesturing to the fact that they're turtles.

"That's not your problem," Mikey holds up a finger, jerking it to himself, "Cause I'm gonna go get it. Myself."

"WHAT?!" Raph's eyes widen in panic. "By yourself?! Are you out of your ooze-twisted mind?"

"I'm not a baby, Raph. I got the squillz, the moves, the ninja realness!" Mikey throws down a smoke bomb, Amy coughing slightly. "I'm ready for my solo mission."

"Of course you are," Raph nods in agreement, arms crossed, "In seven to ten years! Right now it's just too dangerous."

"I say we let him go, Raph," Leo speaks up, "You went out on your own when you were his age."

"Yeah, but when I was his age, I was two years older."

"What is up with your math?" Leo asks, rolling his eyes.

"Donnie!" Raph turns to the third turtle, "Could you please talk some sense into these guys?"

"Hm?" Donnie looks away from his phone, sitting on a beanbag chair. "Yeah, yeah, whatever Leo said is probably right," He turns back to his device and Mikey hugs him from behind.

"Thanks for believing in me, Donnie!"

The robotic arm from his spider shell pats him on the head. Donnie was too focused to do it himself. Mikey jumps to Leo, hugging him. "Leo, I love you. As for you, Raph, you get last game!" Mikey pokes Raph, who looks annoyed. Mikey pokes him in the head again. "Mikey out."

Raph shouts in annoyance, Leo laughing at him.

"I'll go with you."

The turtles all whip around to Amy, who puts down her magazine.

"What?" Leo asks in annoyance as she walks up to them. "Why?"

"You never said people couldn't go," Amy shrugs at them.

"Solo only, Mellie," Raph reminds her, crossing his arms.

"But I'm not participating, I'm just observing, so you can't argue with that logic," Amy smirks, crossing her arms.

"Tell me, woman," Leo leans in close to her and she looks at him like he's crazy. "Why do you even want to go with him?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Tell me, woman."

"What?" She asks in disbelief at what she's wearing.

"He said, tell me woman," Donnie calls out.

"I know what he said! Okay, don't call me woman," She starts off, narrowing her eyes. "And you know what's really cute? What's really attractive?"

"Tell me," He smirks at her.

"It's humility! That's something that you're lacking right now," She stands up, clenching her fists.

"Tell me, woman," Raph grins in amusement and she growls.

"Okay, the both of you, never ever call me woman again! The next time someone says that, I won't hesitate to slap you. And that goes for you too," She places her hands on her hips as she gives Mikey and Donnie a look. The two turtles hold up their hands in defense, Mikey backing away a little. She whips back around to a smug Leo. "You know what? Let's make things interesting. If Mikey gets the game, no pizza privileges and no one-liners for an entire. Month!"

"Ooo, I like where this is going," Donnie comes over.

"Okay," Leo chuckles, "And if he doesn't, then I get to say 100 one-liners for a week."

"Deal! Come on, Mikey!" She storms off.

"I can't believe she even wanted to go," Leo scoffs, crossing his arms roughly.

"Why are you so bothered by it? They're just friends," Raph looks down at him.

"What happens when two teenagers are alone out at night?" Leo gestures to where Amy and Mikey left.

"Nothing, because they're only hanging out," Raph places his hands on his hips. "She'll be fine, Leo."

Leo frowns to himself. If Mikey and Amy start getting close...

Raph notices something on the ground. "Hey, Mikey," He picks up the object, "You forgot your-" He groans in defeat as he's holding Mikey's weapon. Luckily Amy took hers with her, or else it wouldn't be just Raph acting overprotective. He just hopes that Mikey doesn't mess this up. Is he truly ready for his solo mission?

* * *

"Your brother's an idiot," Amy seethes as she grits her teeth.

"Which one?" Mikey questions, the two walking down the sewer tunnels.

"All of them!"

* * *

"Hey Amy?" Mikey asks curiously, hands behind his head casually.

"Yeah?" She replies back lazily, hoping to get Leo's rude remarks out of her mind.

"Why don't you like having friends?"

The brunette turns to him as he looks sympathetic. She was used to getting that look.

She sometimes hated it.

But Mikey...there's something about him. Something that makes her think that she can trust him. She sighs, crossing her arms as she closes her eyes.

"It's not that I hate having them. I just don't want to lose them," She cringes, looking away. "In my old days...I had lots of friends. I wasn't always like this. But...before the accident...let's say that I didn't have it easy. Not as other people would think."

 _"Alina."_

 _A 9-year-old girl with long dark brown hair with some blonde streaks was walking in a school hallway, oblivious to the person calling out to her. She wore a pink long-sleeved blouse, a light-blue skirt with a black belt around her waist, and black flats. Her hair was down as a light-blue headband was on top of her head._

 _"Hey, Alina!"_

 _She heard the voice this time, turning around to a group of kids standing behind her. "Why are you in such a hurry?"_

 _"We're going to the arcade. You can come with us if you want," A blonde girl wearing red smiled at her warmly._

 _"No, I can't," Alina shook her head. "I'm running late, I need to go."_

 _With that, she left the group, with the girl whining. "Hey! Hold on!" But Alina was already gone through the school doors. "She left again..."_

 _"See? I told you she wouldn't come."_

 _"Why does she always run off as soon as we get out of school?"_

 _"She's probably going to college classes. No wonder why she's too smart for her own good," Another girl with brown hair snorted in disdain. "You wanna be her friend or something?"_

 _"Yes. She's so stylish and fun!"_

 _"She's amazing!"_

 _"Whatever. I'll bring her to the mall tomorrow," The brown-haired girl stormed off._

 _"Are you close with her?" The blonde girl asked in awe._

 _"Nope."_

 _"How will you bring her then?" The blonde girl looked confused now. If Alina wasn't close to her, then it would be no doubt that she wouldn't come._

 _"What do you mean how? I'll just make her come. What's she gonna do?"_

 _Alina arrived at her destination, clutching the strap from her backpack. She opened the door and walked up to a woman._

 _"Oh, hello, Alina!" The woman smiled at her fondly._

 _"Hi," Alina smiled back._

 _"Lucia, Elena, Alina's here."_

 _A one-year-old Elena and an eight-year-old Lucia turned around from their blocks, beaming at the girl. Lucia ran up to Alina and hugged her._

 _As Alina was taking the two girls home, Lucia was signing to her. The older girl pushed the stroller, holding Elena's travel bag._

 _"Maeve and I played on the slide today!" Lucia spoke as she signed. Sometimes she would speak, but she preferred signing. Signing was a way of learning, and speaking was something that she was born with. Her mother always told her to express herself however she wanted to, and Lucia would stay true to her advice._

 _"Oh yeah? That sounds like fun," Alina smiled down at her._

 _"Big sister, my legs hurt! Pick me up! Hold me!" Lucia held out her arms._

 _"You must be tired from that slide, huh?" Alina stopped walking and bent down, holding Lucia with one arm._

 _"Yup. Lucy's tired," Lucia rested her head on Alina's left shoulder._

 _"Alright, alright," With her free hand, Alina continued to push the stroller, Elena cooing at the slow pace. Alina sighed a little. She knew that she was neglecting potential friends, but her job was clear: to pick up her family after school, and to never be late while doing it. She can't just take off and hang out with friends. It might be a little much for a nine-year-old, but Alina was up to the task. She was the middle child, it was time to start taking responsibility._

 _Alina opened the door to Marco and Carol's apartment, locking it behind her. "Alina, is that you?" Her older brother called out._

 _She walked into the kitchen, Marco wearing an apron over his business suit. "My little girls are back! Come give Marco a hug!"_

 _Lucia grinned playfully as she turned away. "Aw, she likes you more than me," Marco pouted at Alina. "I want some love too."_

 _"Are you cooking us dinner again? I told you, you don't have to do that," Alina frowned as she noticed the pot. "I can cook too."_

 _"I feel bad that you have to pick the girls up from daycare everyday and this is the least I can do for my little sister," Marco rubbed his neck sheepishly. "The container in red is for Elena, and the other one is for you and Lucia."_

 _"Aren't you gonna eat with us?" Alina asked as Marco took off his apron._

 _"Nope. I still have things to do. I have to get back to work. Carol said she'll be late as well, so don't wait up for us and wait till Dad gets here." Marco tickled Elena slightly. "I'll get off from work early tomorrow and come home straight away. I'm sorry you have to babysit the girls all the time. You can't hang out with your friends." He patted Alina on the head._

 _"I don't mind," Alina smiled as she blushed in embarrassment. "I enjoy it."_

 _"Thanks. How can a nine-year-old be so nice and responsible at the same time?" Marco kissed Elena on the cheek, hugging his siblings before he leaves._

 _Alina bent down and took Elena off the stroller. "Should we eat something now?"_

 _"Snack, snack, snack!" Lucia cheered, pumping her fists._

 _"No snacks. We need to have dinner," Alina shook her head, knowing that Alina would want something sweet._

 _"Snack..." Lucia pouted at her lack of a snack._

 _The next day, after the bell rang, Alina quickly gathered her things into her backpack. The brown-haired girl, Riley, leaned back as she turned her head._

 _"Hey, Alina. How about the mall? Mom said she'd take us." She smirked and Alina stared at her, wondering just what was going through Riley's head._

 _"I can't. I need to hurry back home."_

 _"Which means you don't have anything special going on afterwards. So come with us!"_

 _"I said I have to go," Alina repeated slowly, trying not to lose her cool. She can't tell anyone that she babysits, they'd make fun of her. She'd never hear the end of it._

 _"But you just told me you're just going back home!" Riley crossed her arms. "Why are you so cocky?"_

 _"By wanting to go home, I'm being cocky?" Alina asked in confusion, throwing her backpack over her shoulder. "I just said I needed to be home right away. And I don't enjoy going to the mall anyway."_

 _That was a lie, but she wasn't going to be intimidated by Riley to be dragged into what could be hours at the mall, and she didn't have hours. She left Riley with the other kids, the girl scowling. Just who did she think she was? She thought she was so beneath them, she won't hang out?_

 _"After all that talk, Riley? If she's not going, I'm not coming either," Olivia, the blonde girl, closed her eyes in determination. "You guys have fun, I'm going home too," She left the classroom, one of the girls scoffing at Riley._

 _"Wow, ditched twice in a week."_

 _"Shut it," Riley growled with such intensity that they backed away. "She's so annoying..."_

 _"What are you thinking, Alina?!" Another classmate, a black-haired boy, managed to catch up to the girl._

 _"What do you mean?" Alina asked casually._

 _"Don't you know who Riley is? And I've heard that she has a bad temper. Other kids are dying to hang out with her. Why did you say no?"_

 _Alina glanced at the boy. They want to hang out with her, despite the rumors? "I don't think I'll fit in," Alina shrugged at him. Riley wasn't like her, and they didn't even share the same interests. Alina was more conservative while Riley was a soccer star. "And besides, I'm not just saying I'm busy. I am busy. I have to go now."_

 _"Hey...!" Alina walked out the doors without another word._

 _When Alina was heading to school the next day, one of her classmates saw her._

 _Riley._

 _Ah, she was getting on her nerves. That bitch. What should Riley pick on her about?_

 _She watched as Alina saw a roach and screamed a little. "D-Don't come near me!" She backed away slightly. "AHHH!"_

 _Heh, Ms. High-And-Mighty was a joke after all._

 _She might just use that to her advantage._

 _Class was about to start, Alina reading her study guide for the test today. A shadow loomed over her and she looked up to see Riley._

 _"Hey, Alina."_

 _Everyone turned to look at them, as this could be huge gossip._

 _"Are you really scared of roaches?"_

 _Alina's eyes widened, wondering where the girl got that from all of a sudden. Did she...did she see her when she was walking to school...?_

 _"Yeah, why?" It was already out in the open, so why bother denying it? Riley stared at her in confusion, trying to decide what game Alina was playing. Why was Alina always so calm? She's so annoying, with how everyone wanted to be friends with her._

 _"You think you're all grown up yet you're scared of roaches? I saw you screaming and running away earlier this morning. It was priceless."_

 _"So? What does it matter? Everyone's afraid of something."_

 _"What'd you just say?"_

 _"I said," Alina leaned in closer, "What does it matter whether I'm scared of bugs or not? Shouldn't you be more embarrassed about making jokes about other people's fears?"_

 _"Ha," Riley covered her face with her hand. "Maybe I have been too lenient on you. You think I'm a joke, huh?" There's no need for a reason. "What does it matter...?" If she didn't like someone..._

 _She grabbed Alina by the hair._

 _She can just beat them up._

 _Riley pushed Alina to the ground, knocking her into a desk. "Ah..."_

 _"You have a talent for making people mad."_

 _Alina put her hand to her forehead. She can't get up, her head is spinning from the push. She looked up at a panting Riley, everyone around them whispering._

 _"Hey, what's gotten into Riley? Is she nuts?" Olivia whispered to a boy._

 _"She goes crazy like this sometimes. She's at it again..."_

 _"Shouldn't we stop her? What did Alina ever do to her?" Olivia stepped forward to do something, but the boy grabbed her arm._

 _"Just leave it! No one can stop Riley when she goes crazy. She won't care who it is."_

 _"Let's go to the staffroom and find the teacher," Another classmate suggests._

 _"WHOEVER RATS ME OUT!"_

 _All the other students turned to Riley, who was shaking. She turned to the students, looking at them with a crazed look in her eye. "I'll kill you all!"_

 _At that, they did nothing. Riley was capable of hurting them, physically or emotionally. She once put a boy in the hospital using a stapler._

 _And she didn't use it to hit him over the head._

 _Alina felt useless as she laid there, knowing that if she told, she'd be in trouble too. There were dozens of witnesses, but no one told the teacher._

 _Not even Olivia._

 _Becoming all alone amongst so many people...was so much easier than she thought possible._

 _She looked down at all the graffiti on her desk, with awful names._

 _Some who believed bullying was wrong started to rally behind the bully...joining the game._

 _Others just turned a blind eye and said nothing._

 _She would try to fight them, but they always outnumbered her._

 _"Oh look, I'm a big fat roach!"_

 _"Did you see her flinch?"_

 _"Aw, did we scare you?"_

 _"Hey, stop, she's about to have a seizure! Ha ha!"_

 _She knew that they would've bullied her sooner or later, even if she wasn't afraid of bugs. They just didn't like her._

 _"I should get a rag," Alina murmured at her desk, going off to the bathroom. As she was grabbing a few paper towels, the boy who tried to warn her about Riley showed up, looking through the open door._

 _"S-See? I told you to be careful!" He stammered, running off._

 _So...he's saying it was her fault..._

 _Alina leaned against the frame of the door. "I'm not calling anyone out for not saying anything," She called out and he came to a stop at her words._

 _"What?"_

 _"I'm not doing anything about it either."_

 _Elena smiled as a spoonful of mashed potatoes was being held out to her. Suddenly, the hand wavered as Carol started to doze off. Alina stared at her from across the table, Marco shaking her slightly._

 _"Carol!"_

 _"Huh? What?" Carol flinched, waking up._

 _"You two must be exhausted from working all night yesterday," Alina pointed out, Lucia drinking some orange juice next to her. "Get some rest. I'll feed the girls and drop them off at daycare."_

 _"No, no, it's okay!" Carol waved her hands. "You'll be late if you drop them off."_

 _"I'm fine being late," Alina muttered to herself._

 _"Well, we're not. Mom and Dad already have to work so early that you spend your mornings and evenings with us."_

 _"And we already feel bad enough that you're taking care of the girls all the time." Carol added in, Elena whining for food. "Oh, sorry, baby, sorry!"_

 _Marco noticed Alina's distant look as she stood up. "I'll see you later." He stared after his little sister, his older brother instincts kicking in._

 _"Hey," He placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her._

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"You look awful," He bent down, cupping her face. "Is something wrong? Do I need to beat someone up?!"_

 _Alina looked away from him, not wanting to see his concern. She didn't want to make him worry. He had enough things to worry about._

 _"No, I'm okay," Alina smiled up at him weakly, already feeling bad for lying to him. A nine-year-old and her little sister always at her brother's place? She was already causing enough pain. She couldn't bear to cause more. After all..._

 _No one else liked her._

 _If only she knew that not telling Marco would get him killed...maybe then she wouldn't have attracted attention to Baron Draxum..._

 _At first, they bullied her by ripping her textbooks, hiding her stuff, and vandalizing her things. Later, they turned more violent and physical..._

 _All she could do at the time was not react. Not be provoked. That's not who she was. But..._

 _That only made things worse._

 _"Lucia got yummy snacks!" Lucia was telling Alina about her day as they were walking back to Marco's. Alina was more quiet than usual. "So, big sister..." Lucia looked up, her smile disappearing as she saw Alina's dull expression. "Big sister. Big sister!"_

 _Alina snapped out of it, looking down at Lucia, who held out her hands. "Gimme a hug!"_

 _She smiled a bit, but when she bent down, she winced. Her ribs still hurt from the beating she took earlier today. "Ah..." She grunted in pain, lowering her head._

 _"Big sister?" Lucia looked in concern._

 _"Sorry, Lucy. I can't..." Alina smiled sheepishly, "Not today. I'm sorry..."_

 _All the past months came whirling back as her eyes turned sad. "Sorry..." She wasn't saying just for Lucia, but for herself that she hadn't done anything to stop it...justify that she was being a victim. She started to break down at the fact that she was trying to be strong for her family..._

 _But it didn't work._

 _"Big sister...are you crying?" Lucia asked, never having seen Alina cry. Her eyes watered that her sister was so sad. "Don't cry, big sister. Don't cry..." Lucia started to cry too, hugging Alina as best as she can._

 _Just because she didn't react, didn't mean she was okay with the bullying. They festered because she chose to do nothing._

 _Baron Draxum watched from below. This girl...she could be so much more...and that intrigued him. For now, he'd watch...and see just how much she'd go on...until it was time to change her into something better._

"And that's probably why I changed a lot before high school. I don't want to be like that anymore. It's been years, and I'm still haunted by it...I had no one to turn to. No friends. I was...alone. Maybe if I had told my family the truth...they'd still be alive."

She suddenly feels a pair of arms around her, surprised to see a crying Mikey. "That's...so sad!" He bawls out. "I never knew that you went through that..."

"I've...never spoken a word of this until now."

"You should tell the others," Mikey encourages, looking up at her. "They'd understand. Maybe Leo would even drop the bet!"

"...Maybe. I don't know. What if they stop hanging out with me?" Amy frowns to herself.

"We wouldn't do that!" Mikey clenches his fists in determination. "I know they won't!"

Amy smiles softly at him. Mikey was so young, younger than her, yet he was so endearing...and wanted to help her... "Okay, we'll tell them together. And Mikey?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't tell anyone I did this." She hugs him and he hugs her back. "Thanks for listening."

"Anytime!"

"Now let's go get that game!"

* * *

Mikey and Amy jump across buildings, Mikey backflipping as Amy jumps like it was nothing. Mikey flips and then he's sliding down the side of a building, Amy chuckling at his antics. He rolls on the roof, looking around to make sure no one's watching. His 'partner' crosses her arms, shaking her head slowly.

They arrive on the roof of Montes Auction House, the two peeking inside through the roof window. Mikey opens it up, holding the auction ticket that Amy printed for him.

"Oh baby. I should've brought candles, cause this is a piece of cake."

"We'll bring a 'told you so' cake back to the others," Amy winks at him.

"Maybe we could make it red velvet?" Mikey suggests giddily.

"Totally red velvet. It'll signify Raph's embarrassed face and Leo's anger when I win this bet," Amy smirks at the thought. The two high-five, jumping through the window.

However, they're not the only ones planning to go inside the Auction House tonight. The Foot are right across from the place, with a new ninja.

"You have shown great skill as a new recruit of the Foot Clan," Foot Lieutenant clenches a fist to Foot Recruit, the new member of the group. "Your final test is a mission you must complete entirely on your own."

"Excellent," She kicks a piece of the roof into the air. "What enemy of our clan am I to crush between my fists?!" She breaks it in half, turning to the two with intense eyes and gritted teeth, clenching her fist that would deal with the enemy.

"Uh, no crushing," Foot Brute attempts to calm her down. "You are here to retrieve a mysterious artifact," He wiggles his fingers for effect. "That was said to be in the possession of action film star Lou Jitsu!"

"Ohhh, he was the best!" Foot Lieutenant fanboys, pumping his fists.

"Ohhh yeah. Jitsu For Justice, that's my favorite," Foot Brute adds in, as it dealt with Lou Jitsu and Tang Shen fighting the government. "It's the movie that got me interested in crime."

"Oh, and Punch Chowder! He defeats an entire organized crime mob using clamshells as his only weapon!"

"Hot soup!" They both say his catchphrase, high fiving.

"Hai, senseis," Foot Recruit bows to them respectfully. "I will study these important motion pictures!"

They snap out of their admiration and look back to the building. "Uh, anywho, you are to enter the auction house and retrieve any Lou Jitsu merchandise."

"I will tear this place asunder until I find every Lou Jitsu item within its walls!" She grins wickedly, Foot Lieutenant patting her shoulder.

"Okay, okay. Lower the intensity, but let's just go stealth. No muss, no fuss."

"Foot CLAAAN!" She jumps towards the building, Foot Lieutenant raising a concerned eyebrow.

"Somebody had her coffee..."

Mikey uses a rope to slide inside the auction house. Amy is lowering the rope for him. "Ah. Okay, Magic Mike. Time to snag that game, go home, and rub it in Raph's face."

The rope suddenly makes a noise and he looks up in time to see the rope break, causing him to fall. He crashes into some equipment and stands up, in knight armor.

"Sorry," Amy smiles sheepishly, landing next to him. "You're kinda heavy."

Mikey lifts the helmet. "It's all good! How much they want for this?" He looks at himself, looking at the feather. "Ooo, it's got a feather!" He blows at it and Amy rolls her eyes playfully.

"This is why I wanted to come. You don't annoy me as much."

"Who are you?!"

They both scream at the voice, turning around to Foot Recruit. "What are you two doing here?!"

"We're customers," Mikey says slowly, not remembering that someone would be there to greet them. "Here to pick up our Jitsu video game."

"Lou Jitsu?" She narrows her eyes, remembering what her senseis said about Lou Jitsu. Amy rubs her arm nervously at her line of questioning. Something wasn't right about this woman...those clothes...the colors...

"Are you narrowing your eyes because you like Lou Jitsu?" He asks enthusiastically. She suddenly starts clenching her fists.

"Lou Jitsuuuuu! Yes, Punch Chowder is my favorite motion picture film movie."

"Oh. Okay."

"Wow, she's, uh...intense," Amy whispers to Mikey.

"Well then-"

Foot Recruit suddenly snatches the ticket away from his hand. Mikey gasps sharply at her move. "What?"

"I shall return. Stay here and do nothing!" She backflips out of the room.

"HEY!" Amy shouts, running after her, but Foot Recruit pulls something from her belt. She throws a smokebomb at Amy, distracting her. Amy coughs, trying to see past the purple smoke as Foot Recruit leaves the room. The face plate falls over Mikey, who tries to pull it off. Amy walks over and pulls as hard as she can.

Foot Recruit leans against a wall once she's left the room and pulls out a tiny mirror. Foor Brute and Foot Lieutenant appear on it as an image. "Recruit, what's wrong?"

"There are people here. A talking turtle and a female! And they're asking about Lou Jitsu merchandise!" She reports and they know exactly who they are.

"Those turtles and the girl _again_? They must be after the artifact too!"

"Oh yeah, you're gonna need help," Foot Brute suggests, "We'll be right ov-"

"No, no," Foot Lieutenant interrupts sharply, glaring at his partner. "You know the rules. To pass, she must complete her mission by herself."

"Senseis, permission to vanquish their souls to the depths of oblivion!" She exclaims in determination. Crushing enemies was the same as defeating them in her book, no matter how much they suffer.

"Yeah, sure."

"Okay, why not?"

They only agree because she's ambitious, and not because they want the two destroyed...okay, maybe it's because they want them destroyed. Without another word, Foot Recruit hangs up.

"What if they destroy her instead?" Foot Brute wonders, as they've been defeated by the five before.

"Well, then we promote Jocelyn instead. I mean, we go through a recruit a week, right?"

Mikey thinks as he paces around, Amy just watching him. "Something's up. She says she works here, but the lights are off."

"When did she say that?" Amy raises an eyebrow.

"But, maybe there's a power outage. But, she didn't care about this whole situation," He gestures to himself.

"Maybe she's used to seeing people like you, sure," Amy shrugs slowly, "But I don't think that's a standard uniform that she's wearing..."

"Hm, but maybe she thought I was in costume."

"Or maybe she's so crazy that she doesn't care," Amy mutters under her breath.

"But, she did like Punch Chowder. And only criminals like Punch Chowder!"

As soon as he says that, he's hit by Foot Recruit, who has returned. His arms and legs are boxed in as he lifts the helmet by jumping. "Hey! What's the big idea?"

"Why are you here? Talk!" Amy pulls out her weapon.

"Amy, no! I'm supposed to do this by myself!" Mikey insists to her.

"But I can't just ignore it!" She tells him, "Whether I like it or not, you are still my friend. And friends help each other out!"

"Wow..." He murmurs in awe as she could potentially lose the bet, but she's risking that to help him.

"An enemy of the Foot must be perish," She's holding an axe, "You will not claim the artifact!"

"The Foot?!" Amy gasps in shock.

"But I have a receipt!" Mikey sinks slightly in the armor. She runs towards them and Amy grabs Mikey, running as she swings her axe at the girl. "Is this how you normally treat customers? Cause if it is, I'd like to speak to your supervisor!"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Amy cringes slightly as Foot Recruit uses the other end to hit Amy into a wall. She drops Mikey and he lands on a record player, playing some music. Foot Recruit laughs as she raises the axe, Mikey screaming. She slices at him, removing the armor.

"Wha-I'm not paying for that!"

"Don't look at me," Amy calls out as she stands up, hearing more laughter. Mikey yelps as Foot Recruit kicks him so hard he lands against a wall. She throws the axe and he screams his head off, throwing a cabinet in front of him. He sighs in relief as the axe lands against the cabinet, Amy joining his side.

"You okay?" She pulls out a tiny stick, which extends into her axe.

"Yeah...hey!" He sees something in front of him. "Our game! You're getting that soup, Lou baby! Solo mission complete!"

Hearing a yell, they both look up to see Foot Recruit heading towards them. Her knuckles turn into knives and they scream, rolling away just in time. She lands against the wall and gasps.

"Lou Jitsu..." She eyes the game in Mikey's hand. "The artifact. Give it to me!" Considering how there's nothing else to suggest that it's from Lou Jitsu, that thing had to be what her senseis are looking for.

"I told you, we own it fair and square!"

"I didn't pay for it just to give it up!" Amy screams as they run off, Foot Recruit jumping off and landing. She narrows her eyes and the two turn to the emergency exit, but it's locked. "Oh no!"

"Ha!"

They turn around to Foot Recruit, who speeds towards them, throwing three kunai. Mikey cringes, pressing his back against the door. Amy spins her axe, blocking all of the knives. She throws another one and they both duck, Mikey trying to crawl through a vent. Foot Recruit grabs his leg and Amy tries to fend her off. Suddenly, one of their phones ring and Amy lets go of the woman to check her phone.

Mikey picks up his orange-decorated phone and picks up. "Hello."

"Hey buddy," It's Raph calling to check in. "Just checking in, making sure you're, uh, okay. Uh, everything okay? Mellie's taking care of you? You're okay, right?"

"Yes!" Mikey shouts immediately. "Raph, we're fine! Uh, we've got everything under contROL!" Foot Recruit drags him back inside.

"I have the artifact!" She says cheerfully as she holds the game. "And you won't leave until I've smashed your shell into powder!"

"What?" Raph asks, Leo and Donnie having heard as well. "Hey, who was that?"

Amy snatches the phone from Mikey. "No onnne!" She and Mikey roll away as her foot lands on the planks. "It's just the pushy clerk who's trying to sell us the...extended warranty! Yes, and I should know that since I'm always paying off for...oven repairs. Uh, we're not interested! Mikey's got this. Bye!"

She hangs up and gives Mikey the phone back as they run off from Foot Recruit.

* * *

Raph looks down at his phone, his older brother instincts kicking in. "My overprotective brother sense is tingling. Donnie, tap into their security camera."

"Oh, sure, let me just load my tap-into-every-security-camera-in-New-York app. Sorry if that sounded like sarcasm. It wasn't," He says sarcastically as he taps into his wrist computer.

"My lady could be in trouble too. What if she's hurt or worse?!" Leo starts panicking. "She's not always able to take care of herself. What if her mother's there?!"

Raph slaps him and Leo shakes his head rapidly. "Ow!"

"Relax, Mellie can handle herself. And why would her mother even be a problem?" He raises a skeptical eyebrow, thinking that Leo knows something that he doesn't.

"No reason," Leo immediately denies, sweating a bit. If the last time he saw Amy would be when she left the lair with Mikey, he'd lose it.

"I am in," Donnie pulls up the footage of the auction house. Leo and Raph immediately join his side to see Mikey and Amy walking around, a bit nervously.

"Oh, I guess they're okay."

Foot Recruit suddenly comes in and kicks them away, chasing after them. "That's it! Mikey and Mellie need us!"

Leo and Donnie stare at him as he has a crazed look, but they don't have time to comment as he drags them away.

* * *

Mikey and Amy dodge her punch and kicks before getting kicked in the stomach. She spins a spear, Mikey gasping nervously. He didn't think he'd need to bring his weapon. He looks around and grabs an umbrella. The two defend themselves, backing away slowly.

"You can't hit me!" She brags and Mikey is pushed into a statue of an ice cream cat? He stops it from falling.

"Aww."

"An Ice Cream Kitty! Strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate. Good combo," Amy squeals as she looks at it.

"Now that's cute!"

Foot Recruit laughs and throws her kunai. The two dodge, but the statue is broken in the process.

"YOU MONSTER!" Mikey screams at the broken pieces.

"You did not just do that!" Amy clenches her fists as she glares at Foot Recruit. They throw a sheet over her, distracting the woman only for a few seconds. She swings at their weapons and with the umbrella handle, Mikey snatches the game back.

"Back to me, Lou baby!"

Foot Recruit swings at them. Mikey, putting the game in his mouth, opens the umbrella as Amy slices the spear in half. Mikey laughs at her, but she kicks them away, knocking the cartridge into the air. She catches it into her left hand and her mirror rings.

"Hello you," Foot Brute greets once she gets it out. "How's everything going?"

"Ugh, it's under control!" She groans at being interrupted. "I'LL BE OUT IN A MINUTE!" With that, she hangs up and leaps towards the duo. They look up to see her advancing towards them once again. "You're finished, turtle and human scum!"

"Hey," Amy says, offended.

"You're not scum," Mikey replies, placing a hand on her shoulder. He throws a beach ball at Foot Recruit, the duo kicking it. With the force of the movement, she lands in a harp, stuck in the strings. "Yeah!"

They run up to her, Mikey snatching the game back. "NOOOO!"

They land against the emergency exit. "And Raph thought I couldn't do this all by myself! Oh, solo mission complete!"

"And that means I won the bet," Amy smirks as she moves away, the other turtles busting into the room.

"Mikey, Mellie, we're here to rescue you, guys!"

"Narf." Raph looks down to see Mikey underneath the door and Raph's foot. Amy cringes as she looks at him.

* * *

"I'm just gonna take a quick look," Foot Brute says as Foot Recruit has taken a while to come back.

"I told you, she must prove herself and-ooo, hello. What's this?"

Foot Recruit's mirror has a perfect image of the turtles and Amy. "They're all there! It's an ambush!"

Enraged, they jump towards the building.

* * *

"I had it in my hands! We were literally ready to leave!" Mikey is scolding Raph, "What part of by myself don't you understand?"

"Are you okay?" Leo asks Amy and she places a hand on her forehead.

"Back off, vultures. I'm not dead yet. I told you, we'd be fine!"

Foot Recruit pulls out a kunai while they're distracting, starting to cut the harp strings. Raph just chuckles.

"Little man, woman-"

"What, say what?!"

"What did you just say to me?" Amy whips around to him, Leo rubbing his neck.

"I mean big man, Mellie. I will open up my apology wallet and give you a big stack of-"

"Yeah, yeah, mistakes were made, lessons were learned," Leo winks at Amy, who's surprised at his action. Is he actually apologizing for earlier? "We got a video game to play, so vamonos, hermanos and senorita. And yes, I did that on purpose."

"Okay, I thought we established that I'm the only member in the team who's allowed to speak Spanish," Amy crosses her arms.

"Oh come on, you gotta admit, that was pretty good. Give me that one," Leo grins at her.

"What you should give me is no one-liners since I won the bet," She smirks and his eyes widen, remembering that Mikey got the game.

"Ha ha!"

They turn to Foot Recruit, who throws kunai. Mikey and Amy maneuver around them before being kicked down by the woman. She kicks Raph, throws down Leo, and uses Donnie's staff to swing him around, throwing him to the floor. She catches the game in her hand.

"Ha! So long, mission complete!"

Something crashes through the wall, knocking her and the game down.

"We're here to rescue ya," Foot Brute declares and she turns to them.

"Nooo. I had it in my hands. I was literally ready to leave. What part of by myself don't you understand?"

"Yeah, she gets it," Mikey points to her.

"Okay, I am officially freaked out now. Déjà vu," Amy backs away slightly.

"Stay out of this, you little pipsqueak and woman!"

"Whoa," Raph stands near Foot Brute, "Whose brother and friend you calling pipsqueak and woman, toe head?"

"Maybe you're the pipsqueak," Foot Brute points his finger at Raph's plastron.

"I'll protect you, Mikey and Mellie!" Raph tackles Foot Brute. Foot Lieutenant picks up the game cartridge.

"Wait a minute. That is not the artifact we seek."

"But it's the only Lou Jitsu thing here," Foot Recruit tells him.

"Well then your mission is a bust!" He throws the game away. "On a technicality, of course. But don't be discouraged," Two purple portals appear on his hands. "The road to success is paved with miles of favor." He slams his hands together, creating a large portal.

"I shall prove I am worthy next time!" She declares, running up to the portal.

"Yes, yes, I know. Come, we'll get a nice falafel." He follows Foot Recruit through the portal, but Foot Brute stays behind to fight with Raph. Mikey scratches his head, picking up the game.

"Chop socky violence, here we come!"

* * *

Back at the lair, he puts in the game, turning to the others. "Sure you don't want first game, Raph?"

Donnie, Amy, and Leo laugh as a beat-up Raph is sitting there, in casts because of his brutal fight. "Oh, I earned it? Why, thank you!" Mikey turns on the game using the controller, but the graphics are nothing like he expected. Lou Jitsu can only move, with no fighting whatsoever. "What? Lou Jitsu's a beige rectangle. This is a ripoff!"

"Whoa!"

They turn to Splinter, who's pouring himself a cup of tea. "Lou Jitsu's Hot Soup: The Game?!" He puts down the cup of tea, but it spills over Amy's boot and leg.

"Ahh, hot, hot!" She cringes in pain, clutching her boot. He snatches the controller from Mikey.

"Look at those realistic ripped abs!" He chuckles as he starts to play. "I will fight my way up to you, Boss Level!"

Amy grits her teeth at him and Leo sighs, standing up. "I'll help you, my lady."

"You need my expertise?" Donnie calls out as he watches Splinter.

"Nah, I got this." He puts Amy's arm around his shoulders, slowly moving as she hops over to the couch. "Does it hurt?"

"Some of my skin does. The boot took most of the tea," She takes off the boot, wiggling off the liquid. Leo runs off to grab some ice as she slowly takes off her sock, wincing at the slightly red skin.

The red-eared slider returns with a pack of ice in hand, placing it over her ankle. "Thank you."

"So...you and Mikey seem to get along well," He says casually and she gives him a look.

"Leo, is now really the time?"

"Just...tell me, are you interested in him?" He looks down at the ice pack touching her burns, looking crestfallen. "Like, have you thought about a future with him?"

"With Mikey? No, and I'm not really interested in him, or any of your brothers. Besides, Mikey's the only one who doesn't annoy me as much."

"Oh..." He recalls her reaction to when he called her woman. "I'm sorry, calling you woman was...stupid. And, uh...guess I'll have to stop with the one-liners now, huh?"

"...Nah," Amy shakes her head. "I'm dropping the bet. I don't feel comfortable changing who you are anymore. Just keep it minimal."

"No promises," He chuckles and she looks at the ice pack, smiling a bit how close his hand was to hers. She leans in and kisses his cheek. His eyes widen at her soft lips, slowly touching around where she kissed him...

"Thank you for being so concerned about me earlier at the auction house," She smiles softly. "And I know I'm a little...rough on the edges, but that's because of my past."

"...What do you mean?" He asks softly, wanting to know more.

"Well...there was a time when I wasn't always like this..." She starts off, the other turtles gathering around to hear her story.


	23. The Evil League of Mutants

**Angel: Hi guys! Sorry for the wait, they decided to wait until today to release this episode online...but I also wanna talk about something. Around last month, someone COPY AND PASTED my story and made it off like it was hers originally! Hell no! And it was on Wattpad where I found this of all places! She didn't even bother switching Amy's name in some chapters. It wasn't exactly like mine, but she still got most of it from me. Even most of the dialogue and the moments with Leo and Amy were copied WORD FOR WORD.**

 **She took it down, so you won't find it, but I am pissed that someone did this. I wanna say this to all the writers out there who like this show: If you wanna write about it, don't get it from me! Most of the fanfiction I've seen so far are about Donnie or Leo. There's also this twin thing with them...? I have no idea where that came from. Write about that, don't copy it from me! I'll definitely report that person for copyright if you have the NERVE to do that!**

 **And please, don't go asking around for info on what happened, because this is the first time this has happened to me. And this person didn't even have a good reason: She said it was because she idolizes me. Okay, but that doesn't mean you should take my stories and copy them word for word. That does not justify anything. I'm such an inspiration to this person and yet that's a reason to take my story and post it somewhere else? What is wrong with people?! First Raven perez on here who disrespects me and now someone from WATTPAD?! I'm not even active on there that much except to support RedBat with her drawings!**

 ***sighs slowly* Okay...rant over...let's just get started with this episode...**

 **Also, thanks for over 100 reviews and for over 50 of you favoriting this. I wasn't expecting this so soon since we're not even halfway through this season yet. Seeing that...makes things better...only a little.**

 **I'm also not too pleased that this is the 23rd episode, but it's only two episodes I'm missing, so I'll just delete this chapter and re-post it whenever they decide to release episodes 21 and 22. I know it's not ideal that they keep doing this, but what can I do? It's been over a month and I don't want to keep you guys waiting any longer. The Purple Jacket is going to be released on the 26th if you wanna see it aired, though, so not sure when we'll see episode 21 or 12a. Hopefully we don't get another episode that's not in order, because that would mean I'd have to delete two chapters and rearrange them. Also, for those who didn't know at this point, they released episodes 11a and 11b back in December which I've already done a long time ago, so go ahead and read that if you want to.**

 **I should probably stop talking since you guys wanna read this one, okay I'm done ^^'**

 **PS: Considering how it's Friday, I have no clue why it took so long for this to be uploaded to the internet. My only options at the time were to either pay for it on Youtube or download it, and I did not want to do either. Mostly because I'm not paying just to type it once, I need to save money, and because I didn't want to take too much data from my phone. Not even Bug Busters took THIS long to get on the internet. It was on dailymotion first before I found a better site to use, and dailymotion is too slow on my phone and my computer...plus, you can't rewind, which I need to do so that I can get every word.**

 **It doesn't help that I NEED a new phone and computer, but kimcartoon or watchcartoononline is just better on my electronics...despite my phone being outdated as hell and my computer breaking apart at the seams. Thanks to the two users who tried to help by giving me the link ^^' So, sorry for the wait, shutting up permanently.**

At a bio dome in daylight, the turtles and Amy are getting their shells/butt kicked. Mikey, Leo, Donnie, Raph, and Amy are all hit one by one by orange claws, sliding to each other on the ground. Amy is between Leo and Donnie, her hair splayed underneath her.

"Okay," Raph says to his groaning brothers and friend, "That did not go as planned."

They stare at him blankly. "Maybe not the result you wanted, but the result I expected," Donnie speaks up.

"Donnie, stop being cocky," Amy deadpans next to him and he huffs.

"I'm not cocky. I'm right!"

Two pairs of yellow glowing eyes stare at the group from the bushes. At this point, they're already on their feet, not sure of what to do.

"We're getting our butts kicked on an everything level," Raph sags his shoulders as Amy is holding a spear, the weapon rested on her shoulder.

"We've gotta do something to help. They are scaring everyone out of the bio dome, and you know what a fan I am of experiential learning!" Donnie says in determination. Amy raises an eyebrow at him as Raph rubs a temple, trying to concentrate.

"Come on, Raph! Think of something useful!" He encourages himself, but has nothing, growling to himself in frustration. A record scratch is heard as Amy, Leo, and Donnie are giving him looks.

"I'm sorry, did you just say that out loud?" Leo asks knowingly, Raph looking away sheepishly.

"Okay, who are you, and what have you done with the real Raphael?" Amy places a hand on her hip. Never in her life has she ever heard Raph say that.

Mikey sniffs the air and the others looks at him. "Do you smell that?" They all sniff the air, their eyes widening as two shadows jump behind them, laughing.

"Duck!" Donnie warns and everyone jumps out of the way except Mikey, who has a claw over his arm.

"More like crab," He pinches the fingers, looking up and screaming. He leaps to his right as a mutant crab lands on the ground, along with another. They both have light blue leotards with a crab claw as the symbol. One of them has black hair while the other one is bald.

"Ho ho ho! Step one of our plan! Disrupt the school field trip."

"Step two," The other one speaks up, "Strike a pose." His brother balances on his head using a claw.

The five just stare at them as they strike another pose. "We are nailing this production!" Before they were mutated, they used to be in the circus. They strike more poses before one of them aims their claw at them.

"Come here, my little turtle. Let me pinch your cheeks," He eggs, pinching his claw.

"How dare you take something as sweet as cheek pinching and make it menacing?!" Mikey points at them accusingly.

"Uh, Mikey, they're villains. That's what they do," Amy points out and he smiles sheepishly.

"Taste my claw!" He fires multiple claws and Leo slides in front of the others, swinging his sword with a laugh. He makes a portal appear, getting rid of the claws.

"Hang on!"

"What's going on?!"

Leo laughs at how well he's doing, grinning at Amy widely. He suddenly gets punched in the face with a claw, getting hit with the ones fired. The Sando Brothers just laugh at him.

"Leo!" Raph exclaims as Amy looks over the turtle.

"Are you okay?" She asks in concern and he just groans. Mikey jumps towards the two crabs with his whip, spinning the end of it. The fire spirit appears, heading right towards the two mutants, but they jump past it like it's nothing. He tries again, but because of their agility, they have the advantage. He throws it wildly, trying to catch them, but it hits him in the face.

"Mikey!" Raph shouts, Mikey groaning like Leo. He's caught in his whip and Raph yells, looking at the two crabs. He clenches a fist as they just chuckle and he leaps in the air, landing on a vine. He pulls out his tonfas. "Cracking like a boss!"

He taps into his smash jitsu ability, but the weight makes the vine crack and he crashes into vines as he falls onto the ground.

"Raph!" Donnie yells as Raph is down as well.

"Get ready to get clobbered!"

Amy groans at the joke as she stands up, Donnie pressing a button from his tech staff. However, it's out of batteries. After that, he just gives up, lying down on Raph's plastron. Amy facepalms at this, spinning her spear. She runs towards the brothers, swinging her spear towards them, but they jump out of the way.

One of them laughs as he grabs Amy with his claw, spinning her in the air. "Whoooooa!" She shouts as she lands on the ground, feeling sick from all the spinning. She holds her head as she feels dizzy. Today is definitely not a good day.

"It's five against two, and you don't stand a chance." Suddenly, a pink portal appears underneath the two. "W-What is going on?" They both fall through it and everyone looks at Leo.

"That was not me," He denies after a few seconds.

* * *

The two brothers land somewhere dark, sitting in a chair. "What's going on?"

"I don't know, but I really like the look of the spread," The one with the hair looks at the seafood buffet.

Hypno-Potamus is sipping a drink, just having some tea until the pink portal captures him.

Repo Mantis is at an elderly home, trying to take back a tank. "Give it to me!" He wrestles with a woman before he also falls through the portal, the woman hugging the tank.

Meat Sweats is in his lair, eating a meal that he prepared himself, watching TV. "And now, back to Kondescending Kitchen." Something pink comes from the floor and he screams before he falls too.

Brit Worley is peeking around the corner of Smith's Sweets, waiting for Amy to come back. He's in his mutant bull form. He giggles evilly as he holds a stink bomb. He was planning on throwing it at her when she arrives, and her reaction would be worth it. The pink portal appears underneath him and he falls through it.

All four villains land on the floor in the same room as the Sando Brothers.

* * *

Leo groans as he leans against the chair, all of them exhausted from the recent fight. Amy has already gone back to the bakery, to check on Chewbacon and to get some work done. Raph sighs slowly at their lack of progress lately.

"We can't keep failing only to luck out at the last second," Raph remembers all of their previous fights, remembering how most of them ended up with them being lucky coincidences that they were defeated. Either it was someone else or by their own choice for the villains to give up. "I know no one wants to hear it," His brothers stare at him as he looks serious. "But we need-"

"Don't you dare say the T word!" Mikey warns him.

"Training."

All three groan at that. They didn't think they needed training because they thought they were good enough on their own.

"What's training gonna do for us? What we need is better mystic weapons," Leo waves his sword. "Does anyone wanna trade?" He looks at Donnie and Mikey.

"Mystic weapons or not, we need to get better at...everything!" Raph tells them. He stands on the chair in front of Leo, causing the brother to recoil back in surprise. "When I look around in this room, I see nothing but potential! Who's ready to tap down that potential? Huh?" He looks at his brothers eagerly, but no one answers. "Huh? Take it up a notch?" He then points at Leo. "You, being the best of the best? Yeah?"

Donnie and Mikey cringe, looking away.

"Uh, well..."

"But who's gonna train us?" Leo asks, arms crossed. "Who's gonna be our sensei?"

The news is on in Splinter's room, but he's too busy snoring to care. He would rather watch his commercials than the boring old news. He looks peaceful as he's curled up in his small blanket. The turtles all stare at him, having waited patiently for a little while now.

"Master Splinter!" Raph shouts loudly and the rat springs up, eyes wide.

"I swear I've never been to Dallas!" He denies quickly before he turns around, seeing his sons.

"Master Splinter," Raph opens his eyes as Leo and Mikey stare at him pleadingly. "We need your help. We need you to train us, so we can be...heroes." Raph looks up at the ceiling at the thought of being able to take down anyone. Splinter narrows his eyes, nodding with a serious grunt.

* * *

He goes through a wall of weapons. Raph, Leo, Donnie, and Mikey stand behind him, their hands behind their backs as if they're soldiers. "Glad you boys are back for some more formal training!" The rat casually puts a mace over his shoulder.

"Yes!" Raph exclaims enthusiastically.

"It is not going to be easy," He walks past them. "I will break you down to your core, like a snowball! Then, I will build you back stronger, like a snowman!" He spins a sai in his left hand. He throws it over his shoulder, Donnie narrowly missing it by the head. "Now, let us begin!"

Raph and Leo stare at him in awe as he takes a sword.

"Turn the level up!"

"Yeah!"

"Yes, all of us say yeah!"

Splinter lunges the sword forward... but then he uses it to put in a tape. They give him blank looks as a Lou Jitsu movie plays. The movie star turns to the screen.

"Hot soup!" He declares, his sunglasses glinting a little. He spins around a fish.

"First, we will watch Lou Jitsu, in One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Dead Fish! Followed by-"

"Are you serious?" Leo stops the tape as they block the screen. "This isn't training."

"This is absolutely training!" Splinter insists, "You are not ready for more than this. Lesson one, WWLJD. What would Lou Jitsu do?"

"What?" Leo asks in disbelief. "How is thinking like Lou Jitsu gonna help us?"

Splinter sighs slowly, closing his eyes. "Lou Jitsu cares about you in many ways than you could ever know."

"What?" Mikey questions in confusion.

"This is the first and only time I will ever say this," Donnie rolls his eyes about what he's about to say, "But Leo is right."

"Plus, we know all these fights by heart," Leo speaks up.

"Oh," Splinter rolls his eyes at their cockiness, "Well excuse me. I suppose you know the fight in Little Jacob's Ladder?" He holds out the DVD.

Raph chuckles at the thought. "Do people even use ladders anymore? Isn't there an app for that?"

"We need more!" Mikey insists, his shell to Splinter. "We're ready for the floaty wings to come off!"

"We need _real_ training," Leo explains bluntly, "Not whatever this is," He rolls his eyes at how outdated these techniques are. "At least Amy was willing to do it."

"Yeah, what are the odds that we ever fight in a fish market or ladder factory?" Donnie raises a brow in boredom.

"Lame," Leo mumbles.

"Well, look at you fancy pants boys," Splinter remarks, hands on his hips as he's standing on his chair. "You think you know everything. Well, let me tell you about the boys who know everything."

Mikey groans as he already knows he means them. "Well, they don't."

Raph sighs at this. "They should listen to their father! Who know everything!"

Leo rolls his eyes. "What do you even know about training, anyway? You're just a rat."

Splinter pauses at that, feeling a little hurt. "We need a tiger."

"We're out of here," They start to leave and Splinter glances at them. They couldn't leave, they don't know how the training could benefit.

"What?"

"Which you already knew, cause you know everything," Raph retorts to him and he stumbles, standing on the chair and crossing his arms.

"No! You will go nowhere! You are all grounded!"

"What?!" They all exclaim at him.

"And give me your weapons. You don't deserve them!"

They all groan, throwing their weapons to the ground. He looks at them sadly, sniffling at how cocky they're being. He stares at where they once were as they're already gone. He sighs, hoping that they'll understand...

* * *

Repo Mantis sticks his claw into the wooden table. "One of you muties know what's going on here?" He demands from the Sando Brothers. "I got a birthday cake that needs repossessing."

"I demand to know who kidnapped me so I can sue!" Brit slams down his fist.

"Which one of you brought me here?" Repo ducks from a flying razor ring. "Who do I have to cut in half and then not bring back together?" Hypno threatens before a hammer is slammed in front of his face, causing him to fall to the ground.

"All I see is fresh meat for me to batter fry!" Meat Sweats looks at them, sounding hungry. Purple vines grab his arms, throwing him up into the air.

"Silence, Meat Sweats," The vines throw him away, allowing Baron Draxum to step out from the shadows. Huginn and Muninn chuckle as they're resting on his shoulders. "I am the one who brought you here. I look around this room, I see nothing but potential." All the villains grin at him. "Who thinks it's about time we-"

They hear scrapping and turn to see a chair being moved towards them. They just stare as the chair slowly stops between Repo and Hypno. Warren Stone makes himself known, struggling to bring his gauntlet up. It lands on his head and he slides off from underneath it.

"Please, continue."

Baron Draxum sighs wearily, deciding to let him stay. "We join together today for one simple menacing pu-"

The lights turn on and Todd is there as well, holding a tray of lemonade. "Lemonade!"

They're actually in a hotel, using one of the rooms as their conference room. "I hate to brag, but it has been called both life-changing and dream-making!" Todd smiles at them. "Who wants some?"

Everyone but Baron raises their hand. All the portal jumping made them thirsty.

"What's going on here?" Baron demands as he didn't remember having Todd being invited. "Who is this?"

"Todd, sir. Trust me, he's as bad as they come," Huginn tells him.

"I told you to get me the baddest, meanest, most skull-crushing mutants," Baron starts off, "And you bring me...that guy?"

"Lemonade!" Todd sings and Baron sighs in defeat. He just wanted to get the point across.

"Everyone at this table shares a common enemy. We are here to destroy those teenage mutant ninja tur-"

He stops as Hypno sips the delicious lemonade, smacking his lips. Baron snorts in annoyance at the interruption.

"We are here to-"

One of the Sando Brothers smacks his lips.

"Everyone-"

Repo then interrupts with the lip smacking.

"Okay now," Then it's Warren. One of his eyes twitches as everyone won't shut up. "Now. I brought you here-"

He hears it from underneath him and he looks to see even his own minions interrupting. He slams down his hands. "Enough! I brought you all here because the turtles, my creations, and Amelia-"

"Love those guys," Todd speaks up from behind him.

"Are ruining my plans for yokai-kind to reclaim our place on the surface! With your help, we can take 'em out and you can be free and finally become everything I so badly want you to be!" His left hand grows purple, causing the cups of lemonade to be destroyed. "Now, who's with me?"

They all stare at him, staying silent.

"Excuse me," Warren waves a hand, landing on the table. "I, Warren Stone, former anchorman and their official greatest foe, have a few questions. Before I join this ghoulish gang-"

"I'm sorry, who are you again?" Baron rubs his chin.

"I have no idea," Huginn whispers quietly.

"Why is one of his fists so big?" Baron whispers back.

"Why is one of your fists so big?!" Muninn asks loudly, Huginn facepalming. Someone knocks on the door and the bellhop peeks inside.

"Excuse me, sir, there's been a slight problem with your credit card. It's, uh, a cocoon?" He looks at the purple item in his hand. Warren lunges towards him, the gauntlet shooting a wave of lightning at the man. He laughs and everyone claps at his skill.

"Impressive," Baron admits.

"Small query. How do you know so much about all of us and why do you keep saying you created the turtles?" Meat Sweats asks in confusion, his mallet on the table. As far as he can tell, those who get bit by the bugs are turned into mutants. After all, that's how everyone else besides Draxum got to be who they are now. So the turtles had to have gone through the same process, right?

"Yes, and how does little Amelia fit into all this?" Brit smiles so wide it's creepy, rubbing his hands together. He's got a little something up his sleeve for her, hoping that he can get his idea approved. Not only would he get his revenge, but he can take down Amy with it.

Baron Draxum takes a seat, preparing to explain himself.

"I-"

"Glad you asked!" Huginn interrupts, holding up a finger.

"We'll take it from here, boss," Muninn says to Draxum, clearing his throat. Suddenly, the lights go out, leaving only two spotlights on the two small creatures. However, the villains can still be seen in the darkness, including Draxum.

"He is the very model of a warring warrior scientist," Huginn starts off, gesturing to his boss. "He's mutated things from vegetable, animal, to cyclist." He and Muninn fly off of Draxum's shoulders with their retractable wings. The evil alchemist rubs his temples at his minions' antics. Sometimes they'll completely goof off, making him wonder why he even keeps them around.

"We want those little turtles and girl, to crush them with our iron fist," Muninn clenches his fists to the Sando Brothers, flying over to Warren, Hypno, and Repo. "From Brooklyn to the bowery, he'll grind them into nothing mist," He joins the spotlight with his partner, everyone staring at them. Huginn lands on Meat Sweats' shoulder.

"As a boss, he is extremely caring and at times," He hugs the pig's face, "Quite passionate."

Muninn appears on Meat Sweats' left shoulder. "Yet all they do is treat him as their classic villain antagonist," Muninn places a hand on his cheek as emphasis for how Baron actually felt at the time. It is true that he's tired of them interfering with his plans and refusing to join him. Maybe when they're beaten beyond recognition, they'll finally come to their senses.

"Our evil friends here today, he has some exciting news!" The two land in front of their boss. "Exciting news! Was thirteen years ago today he made those turtles with the ooze and five years ago today that the girl's siblings were killed!"

"Was thirteen years ago today he made those turtles with the ooze and five years ago today that the girl's siblings were killed!" The rest of the villains sing in realization. "Was thirteen years ago today he made those turtles with the ooze and five years ago today that the girl's siblings were killed!"

"At the Battle Nexus, Draxum found himself the perfect human fighter. He was the greatest champion, his abs were no tighter."

"Mutating him was going to be nothing short of masterful, with warriors made from him, the Baron would be oh so powerful."

"Mutating him was going to be nothing short of powerful," All except Draxum sing, "With warriors made from him, the Baron would be oh so powerful."

Muninn gestures to Draxum, as he's actually sipping some of Todd's lemonade. "Their rejection of him is nothing short of blasphemous!"

Huginn uses Draxum's hair as if it was his own. "In several social circles, he is viewed as simply," Draxum punches him, causing him to crash against the wall. No one uses his hair like that. "Fabulous," Huginn finishes wearily, Draxum smiling wickedly as he's sipping some lemonade. Even though Todd wasn't as deadly, he does make good lemonade. He closes his eyes in defeat.

"Fine. I guess I'll give them what they want," He jumps and lands between all the villains so that they can pay attention to him. Suddenly, it's as if there's fire behind him, making him all the more menacing. "After I gave the turtles life, my lab was set on fire and destroyed by a cheesy action hero whose movies I don't enjoy. So I presumed them lost and therefore I had all but given up, only to discover weeks ago that they in fact had not burned up," He grabs Meat Sweats' cheeks, throwing him back into his seat.

"Now that you know their origins, it's time for us to make our plan!" He then looks down at someone. "And yes, we'll need the skills of everyone including Anchorman!"

"And yes, we'll need the skills of everyone including Anchorman!" All of his allies except Warren sing, who smiles widely. He struggles to move the gauntlet on his arm. All of them pump their arms, Brit spinning a towel in glee.

"Now my friends the time is here, we mutants come together for a stand. Let's put a close on the first meeting of our merry little band," Draxum holds out his arms as the purple vines surround him. "So join me in ending them, our greatest foes for I insist," The vines break through the walls of the conference room, taking Draxum with them. "I am the very model of a warring warrior scientist."

The other villains run out of the fire, ready to start on their goal. "So join him in ending them, our greatest foes, for he insists. He is the very model of a warring warrior scientist."

Draxum smiles at the recognition, as he's certain that this little team of his will destroy the turtles. For Amy, he has plans for her. He looks down at his allies.

"Now, for some unnecessary, but highly destructive violence. My Evil League of Mutants!" He declares at the team he's just named: The Sando Brothers, Hypno-Potamus, Repo Mantis, Meat Sweats, Warren Stone, and Brit Worley.

With this onslaught of foes as his companions, there is no way that the turtles and Amy can defeat him now. And then he can continue with his plans to mutate all the humans so that mutants can rule. Mutants will be the superior race to the thoughtless humans, except for one special human he has in mind. Nothing will prevent him from achieving his goals...

Even if he has to destroy the turtles and Amelia himself.

* * *

Donnie sighs as he jumps past the moon, Mikey, Leo, and Raph following after him. "Cowabummer," Raph complains as Leo's on the phone, leaning against the water tower. They're looking over Smith's Sweets.

"So you guys got grounded?" Amy asks as she's slowly mixing the eggs with the batter that's stirring from the mixer. Her phone is to her ear.

"I can't believe he grounded us," Raph complains, hand on his cheek.

"I can't believe you guys snuck out," Mikey points at them, "And I had to come just to keep an eye on you!"

"Don't worry, I've taken care of everything," Donnie informs the others, "Dad will never know."

He set up a bunch of dummies at the skate park. Splinter looks at them, having no clue as he nods his head. The Leo dummy falls down.

"Why did you get grounded?" Amy asks and Leo scoffs.

"No reason, we just...told him he can't train us and then he took our weapons."

"What?!" Amy exclaims as she suddenly stops the mixer. "Why would you say that to him?!"

"Because he can't train us!" Leo repeats to her.

"Yeah, but you don't say that!" She retorts back. "If MY father were still alive, I would definitely never tell him! Just because his methods might not work for you doesn't mean they don't work in general."

Leo rolls his eyes. "Why can't you train us?"

"I have to work, Leo. That doesn't exactly give me free time to train four mutant turtles," She deadpans, glancing at Chewbacon. He walks towards the door to get the mail from outside.

"Oh, come on!" Leo whines and she gives a blank look. "You know so much and we're getting so little..."

Amy sighs slowly, glancing away. It's not like she doesn't want to help them, she just can't do it whenever they want to... "You shouldn't have said that to him."

"We need training!" Leo insists to her.

"No, what you _need_ is a reality check. You just don't want to face facts. Splinter is your father, you can't just ignore him. Maybe if you listened, we would've defeated those sorry excuses for seafood."

Leo grunts, crossing his arms. "Easy for you to say, Miss Know-it-all, you didn't defeat them either. If you do know so much about these mystic weapons, you wouldn't have gotten your butt kicked..."

Amy says nothing and she shakes her head. Certain memories of middle school come back to mind and it all sounded too familiar to her. "Idiot." She then hangs up and Leo looks at the phone in confusion. He sighs loudly, causing his brothers to turn to him as he drags a hand down his face.

"Maybe she's right," Raph says slowly.

"Yeah...I know," Leo admits, and as soon as he got down there, he would apologize.

Mikey hears a door close, looking to where it came from. "Ohmigosh, check this out!" He points downwards and Raph places his hand on his head, looking in the same direction.

"Guys!" Leo and Donnie peek behind him to see an Origami Ninja and a Foot soldier standing near Amy's bakery.

"The device is accounted for. And not a turtle in sight. Let's roll," Foot Lieutenant knocks on the back of the van door. There's a pizza box sitting right outside the entrance to the bakery.

"This is our chance to get our train on!" Raph grunts in frustration. "We don't have any weapons." He sags near Leo.

"If we can't beat crab men _with_ weapons, how would we beat these guys _without_ them?" Leo asks.

"I can't put a smile on this crumb sandwich. What hope do we have?!" Mikey complains, eyeing the pizza box. Chewbacon has the pizza box in his mouth, holding it out to Amy.

"A pizza? If this is Leo's idea of an apology, he needs to step it up," Amy shakes her head, holding it in her left hand. She shrugs and walks towards the door, throwing the pizza box onto a table. Suddenly there's an explosion, the blast so big it knocks Amy through the glass window and onto the sidewalk.

All the turtles gasp in horror.

"AMY!"

"Omigosh, her place just exploded!"

Acting quickly, they jump down and rush over to her. There's little glass pieces in her hair, Chewbacon slightly hurt as he's looking down at her. Donnie rushes inside the shop, seeing that the pizza box was actually a bomb. "PVC and black powder. Lightweight, but deadly." The place is a mess, but no major damage has been done. Papers are strewn all over, some chairs knocked down. A table is broken in half and the tablet is cracked. The display case is slightly broken, but otherwise intact.

Leo shakes the girl, but she doesn't respond. "Amy? Amy! Speak to me!"

"Wake up," Mikey whimpers in fear and there's nothing. Leo closes his eyes, trying not to cry as his eyes are full of rage. The Foot did this, they planted that bomb. But why? Why did it have to be her?

"I'm sorry, Amy..." Leo whispers softly. "If I wasn't such an idiot, you'd still be right here..."

The turtles close their eyes until they hear a groan. The four give a look of shock as Amy slowly sits up, holding her head. Her ears are ringing and her head hurts.

"What happened...?" She murmurs, shaking her head as she's a little disoriented from the blast.

"Thank goodness," Mikey sighs in relief as they surround her.

"Amy..." Leo hugs her gently. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry..."

"Sorry? Why are you...?" Amy finally looks up and gives a look of horror. "No! My shop...!"

"There...was a bomb," Raph says slowly. "The Foot left it."

"Oh god..." She covers her eyes, trying not to cry. "Oh no..."

Leo grips her waist as she cries a little. She gasps, looking around rapidly. "Where's Chewbacon? Is he hurt?! Please don't tell me..."

"He's right here," Donnie holds him out and Amy hugs her pig, holding him gently as he has some slight burns.

"...Why did they do this?" She closes her eyes.

"I don't know, but we'll get 'em," Leo promises her, rubbing her back soothingly. "They messed with the wrong girl."

She opens her eyes as she looks pissed. "Someone tried to blow up my bakery, so whenever I see them again, I'll bust them right back."

"Why can't something just fly out of the sky and solve all of our problems?" Donnie holds up a finger and as soon as he says that, five flyers land on their faces. Raph groans and looks at it.

"What's this?"

"Magic-saurus?" Mikey asks in confusion, wondering if that's even a thing.

"First robot dinosaur magician?" Donnie reads the upper right corner.

"One show only!"

"Tonight in..."

"New Jersey?" They read in unison and Raph reads one of the last lines.

"Free pizza?! This is the kind of mindless entertainment we need, to forget how Splinter grounded us."

The others cheer and Leo sees something else. "Hey, they can fix your shop!"

"Huh?" Amy looks up at him and he holds it out to her. She sniffles, wiping her sleeve as she reads it. "So...they can repair the damages," She sighs slowly in relief. "Thank goodness..."

"And...we owe you an apology," Leo admits, everyone else staring at him. "Okay, fine, I do. What do you say, my lady? Apology free pizza and magician?" He grins, holding out his hand. Amy looks at it, grinning herself as she takes his hand. She needed something to take the mind off of the bombing. That, and...

What day it was today.

* * *

They run across the rooftop, Mikey sliding against the edge. Amy runs after them, trying not to smile. When they arrive, it's a fish and ladder market as they're at the mark of New Jersey.

"Are you sure we're in the right place?" Leo asks skeptically, looking at Raph.

"Flyer said it was in New Jersey," Raph states, reading the sign. "Welcome to New Jersey, turtles and Amy."

Donnie looks at the spray paint words. "That's oddly specific..."

Raph pulls open the door and Leo chuckles nervously. "Okay..."

Mikey laughs as he slides inside. "We're sure showing Pops! Ha ha!"

Despite their suspicion, they step inside anyway. "Sneaking out, chilling in a fun, totally not scary..." The doors suddenly close, leaving them in darkness. "Pitch black warehouse."

Spotlights turn on above them, Mikey jumping onto Raph's shell. "Ooo, ambience."

"You know what that means?" Amy asks in confusion.

"Well, well, well. We meet again." They hear a deep voice and Leo rubs his chin as it sounds familiar.

"Where's that voice coming from? Wait, wait, don't tell me." He closes his eyes in thought.

There's a curtain in front of them as the spotlights move around. "You all entered, but none of you will exit." The spotlights join together as the curtains move away. "Welcome to your worst nightmare!" Baron Draxum steps out.

"Baron Draxum?!" Raph exclaims as they recoil back in fear. Mikey cheers for the 'performance.'

"Oh yeah! Go, go, go hey! Magic-saurus, Magic-saurus." Mikey claps as Raph brings his head down, slowly bringing Mikey towards them.

"Wait a second, this guy's a warrior scientist and a magician? Talk about a triple threat," Leo smirks at Raph.

"Boss, you didn't tell us you could do magic!" Muninn exclaims excitedly. "We love magic!"

"Can you turn Muninn into a bunny?" Huginn asks and Baron shakes them off his shoulders.

"Silence! The magic was a trick! This is a trap!" He snaps his fingers and the curtains open fully to reveal the Evil League of Mutants. They all gasp at the team.

"Breaking news, you're toast!" Warren grins wickedly.

"Liver toast!" Meat Sweats grins.

"Crunch crunch crunch crunch crunch!" The Sando Brothers repeat.

"As an actual magician, I'm offended by this charade," Hypno gestures to himself.

"I'm about to repo your lives," Repo smirks at his pun.

"Time for you to go down," Brit smiles and Amy narrows her eyes at him.

Leo gestures to them. "This is why you never go to New Jersey!"

"One last chance, children. If you join me, I can teach you how to maximize your potential, be all that you can be. The bakery and family are no longer there to distract you from your destiny," He looks at Amy. "What's your answer?"

"You threw me off a roof!" Leo points out, hands on his hips.

"Distractions...?" Amy murmurs slowly and she drops her weapon in shock. "The bomb...the reason why you killed my siblings five years ago today...is because you think they're a distraction?! BASTARD!" Amy lunges towards them, but Leo and Raph hold her back, the tears falling down her face. She struggles for them to let her go, but they hold onto her.

"So that's a no to joining me, then?" Baron asks as he ignores Amy's outburst. "Fine. You reject me again for the last time. Now your story ends."

"Wait a minute, is that Todd?" Donnie asks in shock, pointing to behind them. Amy stops struggling to see the capybara mutant.

"Hey, how do you like my new friends? They are so serious, I'm like what and they're like aaaah! And I'm like-"

"Enough!" Baron shouts as he looks at them. "Now the story ends! Attack!" He points at the group and the league jump into the air.

"Abracapow!" Hypno spins around with his rings.

"Time to pay the payment!" Repo soars towards them.

The Sando Brothers spin around as they hold hands.

"turtle bones!" Meat Sweats holds his hammer. The five look around nervously. Not only do the turtles not have their weapons, they'll have to fight this whole team without 'em.

"Uh..."

There's screaming from inside the warehouse before it explodes, sending all of them flying. They crash near some boxes.

"Do you think Splinter's gonna be mad that we didn't listen to them?" Mikey asks, Leo popping his head out from the inside of a crate.

"You and Dad were right, Amy. And we were so mean to both of you."

"Apology accepted..." Amy replies as she sticks her head out from another crate.

"It was a pleasure serving with you guys," Mikey says in lament, Donnie lifting his head.

"You smell that?"

"Is it Raph's 'facing impossible odds' stink?" Leo asks him.

"No," Donnie holds up a fish. "It's-"

"Ladders!" Raph shoots up from a crate full of fish, some landing on Donnie in front of him. They see a bunch of ladders in front of them. "It's the fish market ladder factory we never knew we always wanted!"

"WWLJD," Leo replies in realization. "What would Lou Jitsu do?"

"Splinter's training really did have a purpose," Donnie says in understanding.

"I guess Dad was right," Mikey adds in as a ladder lands in front of Leo. He smiles slightly at Raph.

"Let's make 'im proud, boys...and girl. Mellie, you've seen the movie, right?"

Amy smirks, changing her spear into a ladder. "Do you need to ask?"

They hear laughing and turn to Meat Sweats. "Time to make turtle soup, and human for dessert!"

The League of Mutants laugh as they charge forward. "Cowabunga!" Raph declares as the others charge forward, Donnie spinning a ladder. He spins it towards the fish underneath him, causing some to fly towards the Sando Brothers and Meat Sweats. The crab brothers trip, but Meat Sweats laughs as he swings his mallet. Raph knocks it away with the ladder, spinning it and capturing the mallet with it.

"That's too much flavor."

Raph knocks the mallet out of his hand and trips Meat Sweats, grinning. "Who needs mystic weapons?" He catches the mallet and slams down the ladder, opening it. Leo jumps, climbing it.

"When you've got fish and ladders?" He jumps into the air, Amy, Donnie, and Mikey holding their ladders.

Brit, Repo, Hypno, the Sando Brothers, and Meat Sweats look up at them. Leo kicks and punches the brothers at the same time. "Kick and punch!"

Donnie attacks Hypno while Amy and Mikey attack Brit and Repo respectively.

"Huzzah!" Warren shouts, flying into the air hoping to fight someone, but lands face first near a crate. He recovers quickly. "I am Warren Stone, your greatest foe, and-"

Mikey steps on him, tripping. "Whoa!" He has no time to look on what he slipped on as Repo flings his claw at him. He lands on his shell, opening up the ladder as Repo is stuck between it. Mikey throws Repo off and kicks the ladder at the mantis mutant, sweeping his leg to make Repo stuck in the ladder. He slams it down and it opens, sending Repo flying. He crashes near Hypno.

The hippo mutant throws his razor rings at Donnie. Donnie uses his ladder as a shield, but the rings start to cut off the rungs one by one. He climbs, but is soon out of ladder. He grabs another one just in time.

"Back to razor rings!" Hypno attacks him again. "Oh, that's magic!" Donnie scrambles to stand across from him, throwing the ladder at the mutant. It bumps against his belly, leaving it in the air. Donnie quickly uses it like monkey bars, spinning around and kicking Hypno in the head. He lands on one of the crabs that was chasing Leo.

"Ho ho!" Leo flings his fish with a yell, hitting the other crab brother. He does it again and lands on a pile of fish, grabbing two swordfish from underneath him. He captures them and uses them like swords, hitting the mutant fiercely. He throws one of the fish into the air, combining it with the other one. "Catch of the day, swordfish!" He hits the crab with the sword, sending him literally spinning into the air.

He looks towards the other brother and Hypno, who were hoping to escape. "Uh oh." The crab sinks into the hole and Hypno glances to where he was. Leo spins around, throwing the swordfish at him.

The other brother lands near Draxum, who was watching in shock.

Amy crouches down and leaps into the air. Brit skids to a stop in midair, wondering if Amy was really going to hit a kid. His question is answered as she captures him in her ladder, spinning it around like a bo staff. She lets him go and he crashes against a crate.

She sprints towards him and he takes off one of his retractable horns, throwing it towards her. She grips the ladder and flies past his face. He screams, but nothing happens. Suddenly, his clothes fall down and he yelps, covering himself up. He backs away in embarrassment.

"What is happening?" Draxum demands, "How are they so good with fish, and ladders?"

"Hot soup!" All five declare as they're dealing with the mutants. He pauses, one of his eyes twitching at the phrase. He knows that phrase. He's heard it before.

"Hot soup?"

He remembers to when he was at the Battle Nexus, to observe all the mutants there. There was one particular fighter that stuck with him, though, who was not a mutant. It was Lou Jitsu, who would say that exact catchphrase.

 _"Hot soup!"_

He would fight that exact same way. "Lou Jitsu...it can't be..."

Raph grips the ladder like Lou Jitsu would. "Laddering like a boss!" He spins the ladder and the others cheer. Lou Jitsu would do that exact same move...it's as if he's actually seeing Lou Jitsu right now. Raph spins the ladder and winks, just like him.

The mutants all stare as Raph brings the ladder towards him. He hits Warren, then Repo, Hypno, Meat Sweats, and the Sando Brothers.

Amy leaps into the air, spinning her ladder around as she swings it like a baseball bat, firing an electric ball at Brit. He's electrocuted, but not enough to harm him mortally as he flies into the air. Some of the fish are swept away by the girl and turtle's move. There's a glint and smoke comes from them, just like with Lou Jitsu would do at the Battle Nexus.

"Now that your minions are done, let's tango, you sheep-looking-"

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" He demands and Amy glares at him. Her ladder turns into a deadly cannon.

"Oh, only from the greatest action film star in history."

"Lou Jitsu!" The turtles all shout and Amy's hand wavers from the cannon. She looks at Baron with hate for what he's done. This psychotic _mutant_ killed her siblings so she would focus on fighting? To be his fighter? All of that, because he thought family and work were a mere distraction?

"How could you morons possibly know Lou Jitsu?" Baron asks in disbelief and Amy lowers the cannon, wondering where this conversation was going.

"His movies!" Mikey smiles, "Are you a fan too?"

"No!" Baron waves it off. "I knew Lou Jitsu! He was the greatest warrior in the Battle Nexus! His human DNA, and with my ooze, gave you life!"

Raph drops the ladder in shock, Amy fully dropping the cannon. "What...?" She murmurs slowly.

Raph's knees sink to the ground. "Say what?! We have Lou Jitsu DNA?"

Mikey gasps sharply, looking at the ladder. "You mean..."

"Cowa...boy, am I speechless," Leo slowly drops the fish.

"Of course...it all makes sense," Donnie looks at the ladder and then at his hand. "So cool..."

"Yes!" Baron steps towards them slowly. "This is what I've been trying to tell you! You're destined for so much more, all of you! Amelia, you can be so much more than a baker! Now that you have nothing in your way, you can become my right-hand woman!"

Amy says nothing as Raph stands up, looking at the villain before turning to the others. "Omigosh. Lou Jitsu's our dad!"

"Huh?" Baron asks in confusion as the turtles are cheering/fanboying. Amy can't help but giggle, covering her mouth. Leo and Donnie hold hands, jumping together like they're girls.

"Wow!" Mikey places his hands on his cheeks. "Leo, you kinda look like Lou Jitsu!"

"I always knew I felt famous," Leo rubs his chin with a grin.

"Guys, guys!" Raph looks at them. "Do I look like Lou Jitsu?!"

Baron's left eye twitches as they still don't understand. "I totally see the resemblance!" Mikey answers, Leo nodding.

"Mhm. Yep, I see it too, yup."

"The connection to Lou Jitsu is not only emotional, it's biological!" Donnie inspects Raph's arm.

"Oh woooow," Amy giggles at their reactions.

"ENOUGH!" Draxum shouts, the purple vines lifting him up into the air. "If you five cannot see the true merit of your potential, then I have no further use for you." He laughs evilly before a pink portal appears above him. "Whatt the-?" He's sucked into it.

"Wait, we have so many more questions!" Raph leaps towards the portal, but is too late as the madman is gone. "Leo!" Raph shouts at him.

"I swear to pizza supreme in the sky, that wasn't me. I don't even have my sword," Leo crosses his arms.

"Well if it wasn't you, who was it?" Mikey wonders and Amy sighs, grabbing her ladder. It turns back into her regular weapon and they stare at her. She's quiet as she looks to where Draxum disappeared.

"Mellie, why didn't you attack him when you had the chance? He was right there!"

Amy turns back to them, looking upset. "What kind of person would I be if I did?"

They say nothing, glancing at each other. "Well...at least you used your powers without having to dance," Raph reminds her and her eyes widen as she looks at her weapon.

"Yeah, you're right...! I guess I still have a lot to learn about them..."

* * *

Draxum lands in an alley, looking up. "What's going on? Who brought me here?!"

The only answer he gets is laughter as he can see two flames in the distance.

"This the sheep guy?" Foot Brute asks his partner.

"Be cool. He's a warring warrior scientist," Foot Lieutenant tells him.

"Sweet. Triple threat," Foot Brute grins widely.

"I will end both of you," Draxum threatens.

"Easy," Foot Lieutenant replies, "Easy. I think we just might share some of the same goals. Like getting rid of those pesky turtles and the girl! Remember that plan the bull had? We planted that bomb there..."

"...I'm listening." Draxum walks forward and gets into a van. Foot Brute drives the 'Foot Shack' and drives away.

* * *

Amy summons her bike and walks towards it. The turtles remember what happened earlier and Leo steps up.

"Amy...where are you gonna stay until your place is fixed?"

"With my mother?" Amy asks like it was obvious.

"No way!" Leo denies immediately. "So that she can hit you? So that you'll cry about your injuries again?"

"What?" Donnie asks, not sure if he heard that right.

"She hits you?!" Raph questions in shock.

"Yes, okay? My mother can get violent at times, but it's not often!" Amy retorts back, crossing her arms. "Where else am I gonna stay if not my apartment?"

Mikey thinks to himself as he holds up a finger. "You can stay with us!"

"What?!"

"I actually like that better. At least you'd be safe," Leo crosses his arms.

"I can't stay in the lair. My life is on the surface," Amy insists and Donnie shakes his head.

"Afraid not. One with capgras delusion can get violent at any time, I did my research, and with her state, you should've told your friends!" Donnie gives her a look, gesturing to himself.

"What was I supposed to say? 'Hey guys, my mother beats me because she can't control herself.' That's a real conversation starter," Amy huffs as she gets into the driver's spot. "Besides, it's not all the time."

"It shouldn't happen at all," Leo sighs at her. "Please, my lady. We have room for you."

"And it'll be fun!" Mikey exclaims, hugging her and she shakes her head slowly. She's not winning this fight, and if she tries to argue further, they'll insist anyway.

"Is that a yes?" Raph asks her and she snaps her fingers, pointing to the seats.

"...Fine. But only until my shop is fixed."

They cheer at her agreement, jumping into the seats.

* * *

Later, the turtles sneak back into the lair from above, Amy holding two duffel bags. All except Leo land safely.

"Land safely," He says in pain and Donnie looks up.

"Hey, what's Pop's chair doing-"

The light turns on and the four shout as Splinter is sitting there, having found out long ago they snuck out. "Where have you been? I was worried! Didn't I ground you? And why is Amelia here with bags?"

Leo high fives him. "Yeah, and you took away our weapons."

"We're really sorry," Raph drops Mikey out of his arms. "A-And we learned a really important big secret today, alright? We-"

"Me first," Splinter interrupts him, sighing slowly. "Being a single parent is... what I wanted to...I-I did not mean to lose my temper earlier. I-It is just that sometimes as a father-"

Leo puts a finger over his lips, interrupting him. "I can't let you finish that awkward parenting speech when Lou Jitsu is our father! Boom! Mind splosion."

Splinter gives a look of utter shock. "Who told you? I mean, how did you-?"

Donnie leans in towards him. "What Leo means is Lou Jitsu is our human DNA."

"Well then," Splinter actually looks serious. "I guess you know that I am in fact-"

Leo places a hand on his shoulder. "We know this is a lot to take in, but we just want you to know..."

"That regardless of where our DNA is from, you're still our dad," Mikey finishes, Donnie nodding slowly.

"And...we're sorry we didn't listen to you, Dad," Raph tells him sincerely.

"Yeah, what they said," Donnie jerks his head at his brothers. Splinter smiles softly.

"My sons...but answer the question. Why does Amelia have clothes?"

"Her shop blew up and she needs a place to stay, so..." Mikey looks at him pleadingly. Splinter grunts in thought.

"Dad, please. Her mother's in a bad place and we won't leave Amy with her."

"Alright. Fine. But you bake me muffins every morning and cake every night," Splinter points at her and she gives him a weak smile.

"It's a deal, Master Splinter."

"Group hug!" Raph grabs Splinter and they all hug him.

"I wonder where Lou Jitsu is now," Mikey says.

"Wherever he is, I bet he's being awesome," Leo whispers, Splinter smiling a little. He chuckles at the thought that they really don't know the truth...

* * *

The turtles are staring at something above. "She's been up there ever since she's been here."

"Can you blame her? Didn't she mention it was five years ago today that her brother and sister were killed?"

There's a pause and Raph looks up. "Why didn't she tell us?"

"She probably didn't want to talk about it," Mikey frowns a little. "Someone should talk to her."

"I'll do it," Leo immediately jumps up higher, the others shaking their heads at him. He lands on the upper level, where he finds Amy sitting right in front of her temporary room. She has her head down as Leo sees water falling down. "Ames? What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing...I'm fine," Her voice is a bit raspy from the crying. She wipes away the tears using her sleeve.

"Doesn't sound like it," He sits next to her. The girl hugs her legs, looking away as she tries not to let more tears escape her. One of his legs dangle as he looks up at the roof, deep in thought. "Was it because of what Draxum said?"

"Not just that," She sighs, sniffling. "My siblings...five years I've spent without them dealing with my mother's illness. I...I worked so hard at that bakery. I pushed and pushed, and for what? That?! I'm a terrible owner if I let that happen..."

"That's not true," Leo says sharply and she looks at him, her eyes slightly red. "You're the most successful person I know."

"R-Really?" She murmurs and he smiles softly at her.

"Of course. Before you know, you'll be back to making those delicious muffins and pies and cakes again. Letting someone blow it up doesn't mean you're a horrible baker or owner."

"Thank you, Leo. That means a lot," She smiles weakly and she sighs.

"Come here," Leo engulfs her into a warm and comforting hug. She hugs him back in satisfaction, burying his face into his plastron. "Feeling better?"

"A little."

They fall into a comfortable silence as they enjoy each other's presence until she speaks.

"Five years goes by fast..."

"...Will you tell me how it happened?" He asks and she closes her eyes.

"Yeah...I might as well."

 _"Sprinkles, sprinkles, sprinkles, sprinkles, a pocket full of sprinkles, sprinkles, sprinkles, they'll all fall down!" A girl giggled as she had partially blond hair in a braid. She fell onto a table, an older man shaking his head at her antics. He had Hispanic skin, black hair, and brown eyes. He was wearing a Smith's Sweets apron, wiping down the counter._

 _"Since when did sprinkles go with cake?"_

 _"Since now!" The girl exclaimed, looking at awe at a finished cake in front of her. She reached out to lick the frosting, but the man pushed her away._

 _"Alina, you're supposed to be watching Elena and Lucia."_

 _"But this cake needs sprinkles!" The girl pouted at him._

 _"Mom will say no."_

 _"No she won't," A 9-year-old girl piped up in sign language as she had dark brown hair that stopped just below her shoulders. She had blue eyes and fair skin. "Mom says that a baker's creativity never diminishes, it just gets better!"_

 _"I wish she'd stop saying that," He glanced at the 10-year-old Amy, or Alina as she was named back then. He smiled softly at her. She had a passion for baking, sometimes helping him around the shop. It wasn't his style, so Alina would be the perfect choice to take over when she was older._

 _He glanced at a two-year-old Elena, his daughter. She was quietly playing with her toys, unlike her aunts._

 _"Oh, I know! Oreos! Oreos would go perfect with this!" Alina insisted, looking at the list from the customer. "The Sanchez family don't seem to mind them."_

 _"If you go, all five of us has to go," Her older brother pointed out._

 _"Please?" Alina gave him puppy eyes and Lucia did it too. He sighed slowly at his little sisters, taking off the aprons._

 _"Fine. You win...for now. But I'll leave Elena with Carol at home."_

 _"Yay!" Alina cheered, eyes shining. "Can we take your bike there?!"_

 _"Alina," Marco chuckled slightly, "We all can't fit on the bike. We'll have to take the car."_

 _"But it's so cool!" Alina pouted a little as Chewbacon moved around her. "Hey, if you get tired of it, can I have it?"_

 _"Sure, when pigs fly."_

 _Lucia said something in sign language. "No you can't have it either, Luce."_

 _The girl pouted._

 _Baron Draxum waited above the rooftops as the Santiago family got into the car. "Why is that girl so important, boss?" Muninn asked in confusion, Huginn shaking his head._

 _"Don't argue with the boss."_

 _"Let's just say it's...instinct." The car started up, signaling it was time to make his move. He made a vine appear as the car started to get away and it pierced right through the car. Alina shrieked as they flew towards a pole, and then there was a crash._

 _Alina covered herself up, shaking as she could hear was honking. She peeked out from her jacket, seeing her brother had gone right through the windshield. "Marco? Marco! Big brother?!"_

 _She called out his name but he didn't answer as his eyes looked glassy. Alina blinked back tears as she could already tell..._

 _He was gone._

 _She then looked to her father next to her, hearing the police sirens heading towards them. She didn't call the police, but she was glad that they were coming._

 _"Daddy, the police are coming," She shook him slightly and she heard a groan, meaning he was still alive. Some blood was seeping down from his head. "Daddy?"_

 _She then moved her eyes towards her little sister, who had some bruises. There was a crack in the window near her seat that had some red liquid around it. Her heart broke as she managed to crawl over her father, shaking the little girl. "Lucy? Lucia? Lucia, answer me!"_

 _There was none._

 _Alina sobbed a little before she peeked over to her mother. She had hit the front window at the driver's seat, her cheeks and head scraped. "Mommy. Mommy!"_

 _She couldn't stay in there any longer._

 _The little girl, with all her might, opened the door near her and stepped out, seeing the vines near the trunk. "W-What are those? What happened?"_

 _She followed the trail of vines towards the rooftops...seeing him._

 _Seeing Draxum._

 _He just grinned slowly and Alina gasped softly, realizing that he did this. She clenched a fist to her heart. "A mutant..."_

 _And with that, Draxum left Alina, also known as Amy, alone with two gone and two remaining._

"It was horrible," She whispers as Leo takes it all in. "Seeing them like that...I was only 10. No one should ever have to see that at that age...a few hours later, they tried to tell me as best as they could about what happened with my mother. Parts of her brain were damaged from the window and...and then they told me that she wouldn't be able to remember me...and they also said that my brother and sister were dead..."

"...So that's why you couldn't do it. Why you couldn't hurt Draxum," Leo says slowly and she nods.

"...He might've killed them...because he's crazy! But they wouldn't have wanted me to do that for them. I'll get justice for them some other way."

"...Do you still see Elena?"

"Not as often," Amy hums sadly, "I think Carol just doesn't want me around as a reminder that my big brother is gone. Leo...thank you for this. I needed to get that out of my chest."

"You're welcome." He's happy that she trusts him as a friend, but he can't help but wish that they could be something more. He wants for them to be something more, but for now...

He's okay being her friend.


	24. Late Fee

**Angel: I just wanna clarify that Elena is not Amy's sister, she's Amy's niece XD Carol is Marco's wife (Elena's mother), and Marco (Elena's father) is Amy's brother. Amy only had two siblings, not three. All family members except Amy's dad have five-letter names, though, so I understand why people would be confused, if you were. But Hot Soup: The Game pretty much confirmed that Elena is Marco's daughter, so it shouldn't be hard to figure out. AND Amy said so herself in a oneshot that Elena is her niece.**

 **Also, we're at 14A! Technically, episode 26 is the halfway point since there's 52 of them, but you get my point. And they've released some animations on the wiki for the next episode Bullhop, so go check those out if you haven't seen them!**

 **I would've gotten this episode out sooner if A) they uploaded it faster and B) I didn't have a bunch of homework, quizzes, and tests to get through this week. And one of them was 100 questions. For an assignment! Anyway, enjoy.**

The Turtle Tank is driving down the street at 9 PM. The turtles themselves are wearing their wrestling outfits, and Amy is in her Kitty Kat outfit, with a few minor changes. She's covered up her fishnet stockings with black tights, and she's wearing a black top hat on her head, a silver feather decorating the left side of it. She's also wearing a black leather jacket to cover herself up with.

"I'm calling it now, boys and my lady," Leo winks at the girl. "This will be our easiest mission ever!"

Amy rolls her eyes silently at his bragging.

"Yes!" Raph pumps his fists as he sits in the big chair. "Dad said all we have to do is return this one Lou Jitsu DVD he rented us..."

 _Splinter held the DVD, Lou Jitsu: Bedtime for Bozos. "Back to the video store before midnight and I will give you all hugs and, um, I will also throw in-"_

 _They cheered, interrupting him before he can finish. "No take-backs!" Leo called out._

 _"Come on, let's get Mellie to go with us," Raph looked at the girl who was sitting at the booth. "She's been like that for a full week now."_

 _Leo followed his gaze to see Amy slumping over the booth. Her eyes looked tired and her hair was shaggy; he couldn't remember the last time he saw her sleep since she had moved into the lair. Ever since the whole 'bakery bomb,' she had been like that for about a week now. He felt bad for her, he really did, but he could tell that Amy wanted space, so he had kept his distance. After the bomb attack at her shop, she hadn't been the same, and he missed her..._

 _"That would be a no. It's the five stages of grief. She's going through the fourth stage: Depression. I can sympathize," Donnie placed a hand to his heart, remembering when he lost his jacket...his best friend..._

 _"Depression or not, in case we don't make it, we need her to pay off the bill."_

 _"Is that all we keep her around for?" Leo asked defensively, hands on his hips. "Money?"_

 _"Of course not!" Raph sweated at Leo's intense tone, holding up his hands in defense. "But either way, she needs to stop moping, so go talk to her."_

 _"Right now?" Leo sweated a bit, glancing back at the girl. "Raph, she's been through a lot."_

 _"True..." Mikey murmured to himself, remembering the story she told him when the two went to get the Lou Jitsu game._

 _"I don't think we should," The red-eared slider frowned in worry. "I don't wanna risk it."_

 _"Risk what? It's Mellie. Watch," Raph held up a pineapple, looking at his target. He threw it before anyone could stop him, the fruit soaring towards Amy. The girl held out her arm and caught it right before it could hit her. Leo, Mikey, and Donnie dropped their mouths in shock._

 _"Throw something at me again, and you lose that arm," She called out, but she didn't sound sarcastic, she sounded sad._

 _"Told you. You know what, I'll do it," Raph jerked a thumb to himself, approaching Amy slowly. She just blinked as he leaned in, blocking her view from the ceiling. "Hey. Hey, Mellie," He said in his 'I don't want to hurt your feelings' voice like he did with his brothers. "Um, I know you're sad, but going out should help!"_

 _"Raph," She closed her eyes, putting a hand to her face. "Please, I don't feel like going anywhere..."_

 _"Oh come on," He coaxed further, "We'll get ice cream afterwards. How about it?"_

 _"No thanks," She turned around so that her back was facing him._

 _"I'll give ya five bucks if you come with us."_

 _Leo shook his head and pushed past Raph. The child gloves he was trying to do with her had to come off. "Bribing, Raph? This is how you get her attention." He moved to Amy's right side, bending down so that she could see his gentle eyes. "What are you doing on the floor?"_

 _"Sulking," She hugged her knees and he reached out his hand to her, patting her bangs softly._

 _"Can I sulk with you?"_

 _"That's not how sulking works," She deadpanned, the other turtles surprised that she was speaking more. And to Leo. "But...sure." With Leo, she could tell he was sincere, and not treating her like a baby like Raph was doing. She didn't want to be treated like the others, she was different than that._

 _The other turtles decided to give them some space, peeking behind Splinter's armchair. Splinter peeked over the top._

 _Leo laid down next to her, staring into her eyes. Amy scooted closer, resting her head on his plastron. He immediately knew what she wanted, wrapping his arms around her in a hug._

 _"I know that it was just a bomb and the place will be fixed, but..." She closed her eyes, imagining the bomb exploding. She could've died if it was heavy-duty. She could've lost her pet pig... "It's just all so...exhausting and painful that all my hard work for my mother...resulted in this."_

 _Tears fell down her cheeks. Doubt, disgust, anger...that was all she had felt the entire week. Doubt that she couldn't do more. Disgust that the Foot did this. Anger that she couldn't prevent it...that she didn't see it coming._

 _"I know how much this has affected you," Leo spoke softly. "How much it still affects you. And sulking about it from time to time is fine." He rubbed his thumb across her cheeks, wiping her tears away. "So if you need to talk about it, or cry, I'll be right here for you."_

 _Amy smiled at him softly, a happy tear about to form. "Thank you," She hugged him and he returned it, the other four shocked at the display._

 _"This isn't really sulking, is it?" Leo opened his eyes._

 _"No. Now it's just hugging on the floor. But to be honest, I don't really care."_

 _"Neither do I," He stroked her hair gently and she hummed, grateful for the contact._

 _"Thanks, Leo. You really know how to cheer me up...and you guys can stop spying on us now!"_

 _Splinter, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey all cringed that they've been caught. "So does this mean she'll come?" Mikey whispered to the others._

 _"It does," Amy smirked as she glanced at them, all the turtles cheering._

Raph pulled the Turtle Tank to a stop and Mikey gets out first. "I forget, what happens if we don't return the DVD before midnight?"

"Then Splinter gets charged extra. It's called a 'late fee,' " Donnie uses quotation marks, rolling his eyes at the simple term.

"Or was it zombie apocalypse?" Raph mimics a zombie, Amy huffing.

"Highly doubt it," She jumps and lands next to Mikey.

"Nah, I don't remember, but we can't afford either," Raph ignores the girl. "Now let's return this DVD so we can all go home and get hugs!" He places his mask over his face.

"Alright, hugs!" Donnie jumps down last.

"Yeah, great call on the disguises, guys," Leo looks at his wrestling costume. "It'll really help us blend in with all the people."

"Why did I have to wear mine?" Amy asks, turning to the others. "I'm already human."

"So we could match!" Mikey throws an arm around her. "Duh."

However, there seems to be no one at the video store, which is odd even for New York. There's always someone here, no exceptions.

"Wait, where is everyone?" Leo wonders and the video store behind them suddenly explodes as it turns out it's being demoed.

* * *

"That didn't go so well," Leo mutters as they're now on the ferry. "But on the upside, we get to ride the ferry to another DVD store!"

"So we didn't see all the warning: demolition signs," Raph starts off, all of them dirty. "No biggie."

"Yeah," Mikey's leaning against a pole. "And my horoscope didn't say anything about reading signs," He glances back to see a sign that says wet paint. "Oh, wet paint?!" He looks at the dark red paint on his coat, falling onto the ground. "My horoscope betrayed me. We're cursed! We'll never return our DVD before midnight!"

"There are no such things as curses," Amy waves it off, trying to reassure him.

"Relax, Michael," Donnie bends down, patting Mikey on the back. "Easy. Back in ancient times, early 2002," They all look at his wrist computer, seeing a self-service DVD returning kiosk. "There were boxes or kiosks where you could rent or return DVDs and I just plotted every one in New York to the Tank's GPS, you're welcome," He snaps his fingers, "So as soon as we dock-"

Mikey joins his side. "We can finish our mission and go get Splinter's warm and fuzzy hugs?"

"Yes!" Raph cheers, pumping a fist. "And the ferry's just about ready to dock!"

"Easiest mission ever!" Leo high threes Mikey.

"Eh, I'm not in it for the hugs," Amy puts her arms behind her back, the others gasping sharply. "What?"

"How can you not want Splinter's hugs?" Leo asks in such disbelief, he almost stopped loving her. Almost.

"You guys already know what happened to _my_ father," Amy crosses her arms, her eyes looking sad. "They'd just...remind me of him...the way his stubble tickled my head...his hairy arms despite being gross would be comforting..."

The turtles realize that she doesn't have a father, since he was gone. They start to feel bad, bragging about how easy it was to be getting hugs when Amy can't ever get hugs from her father again...it's already bad enough that she's stuck with them. That fact they could deal with.

But not being able to hug her father...

She should be able to get a decent hug once in a while.

"Uh, folks, a movie production has the harbor, uhhh, closed," Someone announces, breaking the tense silence. The ferry suddenly comes a stop as fake planes fire lasers, heading towards a large monkey holding onto the Statue of Liberty. He grabs the plane, which crushes to pieces.

"Cut!" The director announces. "Cut, cut, cut! Find that monkey's talent and bring it to set!"

"New York," Donnie sighs slowly, Raph and Leo's mouths wide open at what just happened. "What a town."

"We're stuck!" Mikey exclaims, holding his head. "Oh! Now I'll never know if Splinter's whiskers tickle!"

"Oh we will, Mikey. New plan!" Raph points to the water. "We swim to the nearest DVD kiosk!"

"Which is approximately 1.0 nautical miles that direction," Donnie uses his goggles to pinpoint the next one.

"Still a piece of cake," Leo adds in as he jumps into the water.

"Ew," Amy sticks out her tongue in disgust at the dirty water. Something tells her that if she stayed, they'd push her in. So she didn't really have a choice, no matter how much she didn't want to admit it. She swan dives into the water, Mikey and Raph jumping after her. Donnie just flies as he did not want to touch that water at all.

* * *

They swim all the way to the next kiosk and 45 minutes later, they walk into an alley. Amy was just glad that the water washed the mud off her.

"Okay, okay, my turn," Leo asks as they've almost reached their destination. "If Lou Jitsu and Jupiter Jim made a crossover movie, then that movie is a kid with pro basketball skills, that's me, baby!" Leo throws a basketball and Raph catches it.

"Not bad, not bad," He chuckles, Donnie looking at his wrist computer. "But look," He throws the basketball at Leo. "The DVD kiosk!"

There it is...surrounded by trash.

"Who puts a DVD kiosk all the way out here?" Amy asks in disbelief.

"Ah, the sweet stink of victory," Mikey says in relief.

"Gentlemen, and Lia, we clear a path to the return slot, we're home free," Donnie grins as he gestures to the machine.

"Easiest. Mission. Ever," Leo cracks his fingers, removing a bag of trash. However, a large silverfish wakes up, as it was sleeping there. Leo, Amy, Donnie, and Mikey all scream at it and it guards the kiosk.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Raph exclaims in fear, as he did not want to go to another one. "Bad mutant silverfish."

"Save the kiosk!" Donnie yells, everyone else except Raph jumping into action. He had a feeling it would be destroyed anyway, and they only had less than 3 hours left.

The silverfish swings one of its four arms, knocking Donnie away. It spins around and grabs Mikey by the arm, spinning and kicking him. It runs up to Leo, who had his sword, and kicks him in the face before kicking him again. He rolls straight to Raph, who blocks him using his arm. Amy spins around, firing an electricity bolt with her feet, but the silverfish dodges it and thrusts its arm forward, knocking Amy into the ground.

"Remind me to never eat fish again," She mutters to Raph.

"Raph-a-roni's got a New York treat for ya," The basketball sparks with red energy from his hand. "Eat this, bug!" He throws it and it flies at high speed, going right through the silverfish's chest, splitting it into five smaller ones. Unfortunately, this also destroys the DVD kiosk in the process. The silverfish all scramble away as Raph laughs nervously. "Whoops. My bad."

"It's fine," Leo shrugs, the other turtles and Amy looking on with shock at his power. And also at what he just did. But mostly the second part. "We're fine. It's two hours before midnight and Donnie said there's tons of these DVD kiosks nearby. Right Donnie baby?" He wraps his arms around his two brothers.

* * *

The next one is near Clem's as they stand on the rooftops. "Whew, okay," Donnie prays to himself that this goes well. "There's the next kiosk. Raph, if you would please."

They slide up to the kiosk only to find that someone dressed as a wizard is already using it.

"Um," Raph stands behind him. "Cuse me? Sir?"

"You shall not pass!" He shouts, holding up tones of DVDs.

"Oh, what a town," Donnie comments, Raph groaning as he facepalms.

"We don't have time for this! Next!" He could tell that there's no reasoning with him.

They try several kiosks, but it's always something that stops them. Someone else was using it, it would get destroyed, or other things that would just prevent from returning ONE simple DVD.

"Okay, here we are, boys and lady with plenty of time to spare," Leo says as they're down in the subway. They only have one hour left before the midnight deadline. The subway train passes by.

"Raph, if you would please do the honors," Mikey gestures to the kiosk. "To return our DVD." He and Leo move out of the way as Raph reaches into his pocket, finally glad to get this over with...

But he doesn't find it.

He checks again, chuckling nervously. "Hey, have you guys seen-?"

"SERIOUSLY?!" They all shout at him, Mikey with fire in his eyes.

"Oh, yeah. I left the DVD in the Tank, where it's safe. When Donnie made us swim across the harbor!" Raph points at his younger brother accusingly.

"Gasp," Donnie turns back to him, offended that Raph would accuse him. "That was your idea!"

"Well, sometimes Raph's ideas and mistakes are the same thing, alright?" Raph crosses his arms, refusing to admit it was his fault.

"Oh ho, this was supposed to be easy!" Leo exclaims in dismay.

"Relax, I'll just summon my bike and I'll go and get it back," Amy is about to reach into her purse when Raph stops her.

"I may, uh...have left your remote in the Tank too, Mellie."

"What!" She shouts at him, furious. "Why? Why would you do that?!"

"I wanted to make sure that we could do this without your bike," Raph rubs his neck sheepishly.

"So touching my things was the solution?" She yells, looming over him.

"I did you a favor," He defends and she slams her fist on his head, glaring at him that he's trying to justify this. "Ow!"

"Don't. Touch. My. Stuff! This is exactly why I said don't do it! You had one job, Raph!"

"I don't remember that," Raph rubs his head.

"Dude, she told us that when you were scarfing down a pizza. Even we respect privacy," Leo points out, Mikey and Donnie holding up notes that specifically say to not touch Amy's things.

"Whatever. New, new plan. It's been a few hours, so I bet that ferry's back at the dock. Let's go get our tank and DVD." He didn't do his math right as it would take 2 hours to get the DVD and come back to this specific kiosk. Amy calculates it on her phone, shaking her head.

"Raph, has anyone ever told you that you're not good at math?" She raises a brow.

"The ferry's too far, and we're running out of time!" Mikey falls in front of him, clenching his fists. He puts an arm in front of his eyes. "We'll never get Splinter's hugs!"

"In that case, for speed efficiency and fun, may I suggest New York's most enjoyably, unreliable, and deliciously claustrophobic mode of transit," Donnie gestures to the track behind him and a train stops. "The subway."

"Ah," Leo and Mikey sigh in relief.

* * *

Some thugs growl in the corner, Donnie sweating a bit. Not only that, some people are dangerously close to him and he liked his personal space.

"Whose hand is that? That's a hand, right? Who is touching me?" Leo demands, but doesn't get to figure out who it is. Amy is squished between him and Mikey, all of them standing behind five people who are wearing the same colors as them.

"I feel like I can feel Dad's hugs," Mikey's hugging the wizard cosplayer from before. "And spoiler alert, they are plush." He looks up to see the wizard, who backs away.

"You have invaded the Dragon Master's personal space!"

"Yeah, yeah, Dragon Master and all that," Amy waves it off, eyes widening. Someone who was watching them turns away as Amy turns around and punches a man who was touching her back in the mouth. "Hey! Back off, perv!"

She huffs, wiping the dust off her as she turns back to Leo, who's grinning. "Nice right hook."

"Thanks," She smiles slightly at the compliment.

"Harbor Ferry. Exit now," They hear, finally glad to leave.

"New York. What a town," Donnie recites as Amy rolls her eyes. When they're walking up the stairs, they don't notice a large man jumping out from the back. Ghostbear lands on the tracks, tiptoeing up the stars stealthily.

They reach the top, and Chewbacon crawls out, holding a briefcase while wearing a suit. His eyes widen as he sees them, the others just staring. He just tips their hats to them and walks off to wherever he was going.

"...Okay, you guys saw that too, right?" Leo asks the others after a few seconds.

"Yup."

"Totally."

"Uh huh."

"I'm gonna pretend that didn't happen," Amy comments, taking the lead.

* * *

It's 30 to midnight as they land in the docks. "Okay, I'm up, I'm up. Ready? If Hailey's Comet and improvisational comedy had a kid, with a mysterious superstar's leather jacket, that is me."

"Again with the jackets," Amy rolls her eyes, Mikey seeing something on the ground. It's a free DVD rental ticket, which blows away under the Tank. He follows the ticket using his eyes to see a DVD kiosk!

"A DVD kiosk!" It's the 174th one.

"Yes!" They all cheer.

"My horoscopes said I would point out the obvious today!" Mikey grins, holding up a finger.

"Raph was parked next to this the whole time?" Donnie asks in disbelief.

"Hey, that line of questioning is my thing," Amy gestures to herself, Leo jumping onto Donnie.

"Relax. We made it!" Leo clasps his hands in relief, silently thanking the universe.

"And with a little time to spare. BRB with the DVD, bro...s...es?" Raph sinks down into the Tank to grab the DVD, but he accidentally moves the lever into reverse.

Leo, Donnie, and Mikey hug each other, jumping into the air. "Hugs! Hugs! Hugs! Hugs!" They jump out of the way as they see the Turtle Tank moving towards the kiosk!

"Brake, brake, brake!" They all shout, but it's knocked down despite their protests. All the DVDs from it are chuted out, the last one coming seconds later. The kiosk breaks down, leaving it inoperable. Donnie lets a few tears escape him.

"Noooooo!" Leo, Mikey, and Donnie yell in anguish, Amy cringing.

"What else could possibly go wrong?" Mikey asks, the girl pointing.

"No! Don't say it! Every time someone says that, something has happened." Her prediction comes true a few seconds later.

"Peekaboo, tortugas and senorita!" Ghostbear arrives on his own bike, snatching the DVD from Raph. "Swipe!" He comes to a stop. He has a few noticeable scratches from when Amy beat him up.

"Ghostbear?" They all exclaim in shock that he found them.

"Last time we met, you and your friend ruined my pro wrestling career! And she damaged my body!"

 _"Hurricane!" Leo, Amy, and Raph all attacked Ghostbear from each direction. It humiliated him, destroyed his image as he was caught in the ropes. "Cowabunga!" The three held up the belt._

"You did it to yourself by cheating and I'll be glad to do it again if you don't give us that DVD back!" Amy threatens, clenching her fist.

"Now I will ruin what you love. Starting with your precious disc of video. Lou Jitsu movies are estupido," He whispers that last part loud enough for them to hear.

"You take that back!" Raph points at him. "Unless estupido means brilliant! ...Does it?" He looks at Amy since she knows Spanish.

"Umm..." She scratches her cheek nervously, knowing that if she confirmed it, he still wouldn't understand. Luckily she doesn't get to explain because Ghostbear races off with his motorcycle, taking the DVD with him as he laughs.

"New, new, new plan. The tortoise gets the bear."

"Yeah!" They all cheer. They use the Turtle Tank to launch themselves out of the docks and onto the road, catching up with Ghostbear.

"You tortugas and senorita can't catch me!" He brags as he jumps over the Dragon Master who is being driven by goats.

"Why are there wizards in the middle of the street?" Leo asks as he sees a whole fleet of them once he turns the corner.

"It's WizardCon, baby!" Mikey explains as Leo adjusts the Turtle Tank to swerve past all the wizards, including a trio with two boys and one girl.

"Leo, Mikey, launch the Shellhogs," Raph presses a button. "And Mellie? Let it rip!"

Mikey and Leo are launched out of the Turtle Tank, Amy's bike dropping onto the street, moving on autopilot. Amy jumps onto her bike from the open floor and follows after Mikey in the Holland Tunnel.

"Oh, I love your little tricycles!" Ghostbear teases as the three catch up with him.

"Tricycles?" Amy grits her teeth. "That's it! I wanna kick his butt myself!" No one calls her motorcycle a tricycle. No one.

Somehow, the Dragon Master is there, standing in their way. "You shall not pass!"

Raph screams and swerves the Tank, crashing into the wall.

"I can fix this. I can fix this," Donnie's robot spider arms work as fast as they can. "I can totally fix this!"

"Hey Donnie," Raph gets down from his chair. "If you got any more secret vehicles, now's the time to be a good brother and share."

"Uh, well, there is this one thing," Donnie's spider arms go back into his robot shell. A remote appears in front of him. "But I haven't tested it yet, so..."

"Tests are easy; it's answers that are hard," Raph says, remembering how much they went through tonight.

"I love you so much, let's do it!" Donnie exclaims in excitement, pressing down on the remote. The taxi on top of the Turtle Tank is deployed, taking off at rocket speed. There's only 15 minutes left.

Ghostbear swerves past cars, Amy driving up behind him. Mikey and Leo surround him on both sides. "Give us back our DVD, Ghost-jerk!" Mikey demands, but he holds up a chain.

"Make me, voce pragas!" He bumps into Leo on purpose.

"Ow! Raph, Donnie, where are you guys?"

"Coming in fast!" Amy looks behind her to see the taxi speed past all of them.

"This is awesome!" Donnie exclaims while their faces are being stretched. They fly out of the tunnel and into the city.

"Where did everybody gooooo?" Raph shouts as he can see the moon.

"That gives me a reckless idea," Leo beams, Ghostbear swinging at him. Leo ducks, blowing a raspberry. The former wrestler then deploys oil to try and get rid of Amy, but she quickly swerves to the left. She catches up to Ghostbear's side and punches him in the eye.

"Ow! You perra!" He shouts, holding his eye.

"Takes one to know one," She calls out as Leo pulls out his sword from the sheath in the Shellhog. He spins it and drags it across the road behind him.

"Come on, portal, portal, portal!" He drives in a circle to make a giant portal, skidding to a stop. "Yeah!"

"Alright!" Amy cheers until she realizes that where he stopped.

"You're blocking the portal!" Mikey tells Leo.

"Oh no."

"Move, move, move!" Amy shouts, but it's too late as they all crash into each other, falling through the portal. They land at a town center, in front of a DVD store.

"Savage wizardry! What kind of magic was that?" He asks in shock at what he's seen. Mikey reads the sign; Ron's Rentals.

"Look, another DVD store! If we get ours back, we can still pull this off!"

The three hear shouting, only to back up as the taxi from the Turtle Tank lands in front of them all. They peek at Donnie through the passenger window as he takes a deep breath.

"Two minutes to midnight, maidens," He looks at his wrist computer, slightly out of breath, but otherwise okay.

Ghostbear laughs as he points at them. "You fell out of the sky, like waaah! You and your little toy."

"You bastardo!" Amy clenches a fist, ready to give him another black eye.

"You have no idea what we've been through tonight, and on top of it all, you steal our DVD!" Raph gets tears in his eyes. "Is that any way to treat a fan?"

"Here we go," Leo mutters as he facepalms, Raph still not gotten over what Ghostbear did.

"Again?" Amy rubs a temple.

"Na na na," Ghostbear waves the DVD. "I can tell how much you want this DVD for watching."

"Actually," Mikey gets into the backseat of the taxi, "We really need to return-" Raph rolls up the window, shutting Mikey up when the glass reaches his neck.

"Return to the first scene because, uh, we wanna watch it so badly," Given Ghostbear's attitude, he would be dense enough to do the one thing they couldn't.

"Yeah," Leo catches on. "Only the cruelest of villains would drop our DVD in that return slot over there," Leo points to it, "And then confirm that it did in fact drop all the way through."

"Ooo, foolish tortugas and senorita," Ghostbear looks at the drop off box. "Never reveal your weakness to your enemy," He grins widely as he stands in front of them, peeking inside. He glances back at the group for their reaction. They only have 5 seconds. He slowly pushes it inside the slot. They all sweat, waiting for him to do it. The suspense was killing them until he finally drops it in, just in time. "Ha, now you will never watch the movie. Admit it, I have ruined your-"

He's confused to see that they're gone, realizing it was a trick too late. "Noooooooooooo!"

* * *

Splinter is watching the scorpion commercial again when the turtles slide in front of the rat, surprising him.

"We returned your DVD, and now, you owe us..."

"Hugs, hugs, hugs!" Their eyes sparkle.

"It's happening!" Donnie cheers and Splinter holds up a finger.

"Okay. You have earned it."

The four tackle him into their long-awaited hug.

"Ah. I will never forget this feeling," Mikey says happily.

Amy chuckles at the group hug. "Get in here, Amy!" Mikey grabs her arm and pulls her forward, Raph squeezing her in.

"Fine," She rolls her eyes, closing them as she returns the hug. She smiles only a little bit, just enough so that they wouldn't see it.

"I love all my sons. All five of you."

They don't notice Dragon Master in the hug.

"New York! What a town," Donnie smiles happily.

* * *

"Amy!"

The aforementioned girl lifts her head up as she was petting Chewbacon. The pig was snorting happily, snuggling her leg. Mikey's smiling as he's hiding something behind his back. "Got something for ya!"

"Is this another recipe you need my help with?" Amy raises a brow.

"No~" He sings as the other turtles stand behind her.

"Okay, why are you guys surrounding me? I have a bubble," Amy circles her arms to draw an imaginary personal space bubble, "The least you can do is respect it."

"You know how we have our streaks?" Leo grins, gesturing to his arms and face.

"What about them?" Amy looks confused, Raph patting her back.

"Well, since you're staying with us-"

"Temporarily!" Amy reminds, pointing up at him.

"Since you're staying with us," Raph repeats sharply, grinning widely. "We thought we might give you one."

Mikey pulls out paintbrushes and paint from behind his shell. "Boom!"

"Heh," Amy chuckles nervously. That would mean she's part of the group, but did she want to get personally attached? She couldn't forget about her life in the city. That was something she can't part with. To be given a 'mark'...that was kind of a bit much, but...it wouldn't be so bad. The turtles and April were the only friends she's had in a long time. It felt...almost nice that she would belong somewhere for once in her life, with other people...granted, she never thought she'd be friends with the kind of people she hated at first, but not all mutants were bad. There's Todd, and...

Todd.

Honestly, if it wasn't just him, she'd be given the benefit of the doubt.

"...Okay. But don't go overboard," She warns Mikey.

"I'll give you as many as you want!" He winks at her, sitting down and preparing himself.

"Get a unicorn!" Leo encourages.

"No, it should be something that highlights how great I am," Donnie gestures to himself.

"No way, it should be something cool, like a dragon or Lou Jitu's face!" Raph pumps his fists.

"Ooo, pizza!" Mikey exclaims, Amy shaking her head.

"No...I want a stargazer lily."

The turtles turn to her in surprise, eyes wide. Amy sighs slowly. "Stargazer lilies...are just special to me. My grandmother would plant them with me when I was little...as crazy as she was," She chuckles at how her grandma would get into the most crazy situations. "That's why I want them. It's something that I always have in my shop..."

"...Sure," Mikey smiles at her.

"On both my arms," She takes off her jacket, revealing the straps from her tank top. Leo looks away, rubbing his neck. He's never seen her with her jacket off before...

"I'm sure it'll look great," Raph grins, Donnie shaking his head in slight disapproval.

"Well, it's not ideal, but simplistic and somewhat meaningful."

Amy rolls her eyes at him and moves so that her shoulder is facing Mikey. She pulls up a photo from her phone, showing it to Mikey.

"Whoa, pretty! I can totally do that!"

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Mikey pulls away from the girl. "Done and done! My best work yet."

"Don't let that go to your head," Amy rolls her eyes as the other turtles inspect the paint. She has a pink stargazer lily in the upper part of her arms, with the stems being black. Mikey used light pink, yellow, white and black paint overall. White bordered around the light pink petals, yellow at the center of the flower. To Amy, it looked like the real thing.

"Wow, cool! Hey Donnie, this paint is permanent, right?" Raph points to her arm.

"Of course. How could you think that I would give Amy washable paint?" Donnie crosses his arms. "That would be like not having uranium."

"Wait, this is permanent?" Amy's eyes widen.

"Well, you're one of us," Leo rubs his neck. "So..."

"It's cool," Amy smiles at them. "Thanks guys."

"You're welcome!" Mikey chirps at her. Deep down, she wished that her bakery wouldn't be fixed anytime soon, but she knew that was a lie. No matter what, she had to go back...

If not for her, then for her mother...

* * *

Leo and Amy sit together in the booth. He hadn't said much to her since they got back. Amy glances at him to see that he's looking right at her. He scoots in closer to her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I lost everything," She admits softly. "But, a bit better because I have you guys."

There's a pause as Leo looks at her in adoration and also frustration. Adoration that she's still so strong, and frustration because...well...

"I'm sorry."

Amy looks at him in confusion. "Huh?"

"It's our fault!" He sighs slowly, "If we had noticed something was off with that pizza box, then you wouldn't be so upset. Or...or if we had gone after them..."

"Leo, that's enough," She cuts him off, "This isn't your fault. We didn't know it was a bomb, and we didn't know that they'd escalate to attacking my shop. If it wasn't for you, I would've been stuck with my mother...and been hurt. You...saved me."

Leo turns away, not convinced. She places a hand on his arm, trying to get him to look up. He does eventually.

"I've...never seen you so fight villains like that. All by yourself."

She tries not to blush. "Well, what was I supposed to do? Not stand up for myself?" She shrugs with a small smile, but he doesn't smile back.

"My lady, you were amazing. You were...badass! More than usual. But...maybe we shouldn't have let you fight after your shop was attacked."

Amy shakes her head. "I couldn't just sit back and do nothing. I wanted justice for my family, for my destroyed life. Draxum is crazy. He said so himself that he was going to get rid of you..."

Leo looks at her with an intensity she never expected of him. "Amy...the Foot could kill you next time. I think Draxum is the least of our problems."

"I know."

"Do you even care?"

"I care about you more."

Leo stares at her for a moment, and she realizes what she just said. But she didn't care that it was out; she meant it.

His hand reaches over and grasps hers. "I care about you too."

Amy smiles back, squeezing his hand back...


	25. Bullhop

**Angel: Guys...I have done it...I figured out a way to get episodes from Mega without having to download them. I just have to import the video to my account and then delete them from my drive when I'm done—and as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't take away data on my phone. I don't know if it's just mine since I have an IPhone 8, but whatever! I did it!**

 **Also if I mispronounce any words in this episode, I apologize. I have no idea how they're spelled since I don't have closed captioning for this. That's also why some words are missing as I just gave up trying to spell it.**

At the Grand Nexus Hotel, the turtles and Amy are waiting nearby for something, or someone, in the alley nearby. "Purple Rain, do you see the target?" Raph asks and Donnie doesn't answer, lowering his goggles. "Purple Rain?"

His goggles zoom in on a shop. "As we pan across the asphalt savanna, we find the noble Bullhop," His goggles close in on the bull mutant as Donnie speaks as if he's in a nature documentary. The very same one that was mutated at Big Mama's hotel. He seems to be lurking around, using his nose to smell for something. "Survival in these cruel streets will require harnessing all of his fine-tuned natural instincts."

Bullhop gasps sharply, slowly stepping out onto the sidewalk. He slips on a banana peel that just happens to be lying around and slips, hitting a taxi and then the sidewalk and into a pile of trash. He snaps out of it and screams when all the car alarms and the building lights go off around him.

"Oh boy." He takes off into the alley, his foot stuck inside a garbage can as he lands in a dumpster.

"The king of the vertical felt will go hungry again."

"Donnie!" Raph shouts into his microphone at his ear. "Quit messing around. Where is the target?"

Donnie presses an annoyed finger to his ear. "Why must you always put science on the backburner?!" He sighs slowly to calm himself down. "Bullhop is in the alley by Big Mama's hotel, ya happy?"

Bullhop takes a deep breath, looking at his Bellhop of the Month awards forlornly. "I used to be somebody..." He snorts out air. "I was the best bellhop in town until those turtles and their friend showed up!"

 _A stray oozesquito bit him in the neck, transforming the bellhop into a bull. He ran out the door, knocking everything down along the way as the oozesquitoes escaped. The turtles and Amy were stuck in a trap, covered in honey as a chandelier broke._

"They ruined everything!"

He hears a thump as something lands behind him. "Wha?"

They walk up to his blanket-covered home in the alley and he peeks out curiously, confused. "What?" A bag is suddenly thrown over his head and he screams. "You'll never take me!" He bumps into some trash cans as the turtles and Amy are not holding onto him. He falls on his face, groaning.

"Ugh, now I'm not gonna get to test my tranquilzer dart," Donnie cplains, holding his dart gun that's actually his staff. He glances at Raph, quickly noting that he's the same size as Bullhop. He fires the dart at Raph, who falls on top of Bullhop. "Hm."

"DONNIE!" Amy shouts at him. Her hair is partially down as the other half is up in a ponytail. Her top is a light pink buttoned blouse. Instead of wearing a skirt, she's wearing light blue jeans with a black belt around her. Her shoes are black flats. "You wanna give him a warning next time you knock him out?"

"What? At least it works!"

* * *

Bullhop walks up to a purple metal ceiling, laying down on the cold table. "Where am I?" He sees the turtles staring down at him and he gasps. Mikey, Raph, and Leo are smiling at him while Donnie and Amy are not.

"Hey bud. You may not remember us-"

"Oh, I do!" Bullhop sits up immediately. "You're those buck-hunting buffoons who turned me into a klutzy bull!" He slams down his fist in disdain.

"He remembers us!" Mikey smiles fondly, clasping his hands.

"Not in a good way," Amy crosses her arms.

"Look, we were trying to stop those oozesquitoes," Leo tries to explain.

"Yeah! Keep in mind that we didn't want you to be mutated in the first place," Amy holds up a finger.

"In fact, we, strike that, I," Donnie gestures to himself, "Built this technologically astounding bug slappers so we could catch them all," He gestures to the machine that Big Mama tried to take credit for that they used to capture the bugs.

"But," Mikey holds up a canister that has a spider web symbol on it, "We ran out of Big Mama's web goo. So, fail," He throws the canister over his shoulder.

"Anywhizzle," Leo rolls his eyes nervously, rubbing his neck, "We feel pretty bad about what happened."

"So, we Mad Dogs are gonna make it up to ya-"

"I did not agree to that name," Amy calls out.

"By showing you the best day ever!" Raph finishes as a 'Happy Bullhop Appreciation Day' Banner appears from above, showering Bullhop in balloons and confetti. Amy claps, holding out a circular white cake with blue frosting that has Bullhop's face on it.

"You mean...you're just gonna be nice to me without expecting anything in return?" He asks skeptically.

"Mmhm," Raph nods, Amy looking up at the turtle.

"Well, yeah." She turns back to Bellhop, pointing to him. "But only because I feel bad for you. Don't think I'm gonna be nice all the time."

"Wow..." His eyes shine at their generosity. "That's how we do it in my native Etobicoke Canada!"

* * *

"Happy Bullhop Appreciation Day!" Mikey cheers, laying down a bed of grass in front of Bullhop. He had asked Donnie what bulls could eat. Bullhop digs in, eating lots of seconds...and thirds...just lots of grass.

The five cheer him on as he tries playing Pants Pants Revolution, getting the lowest score at 4 points. Amy has the most points at 2,000, Mikey in second at 1547, Raph in third at 746, Leo in fourth at 238, and Donnie was four points behind Leo. Their game names are Mod Mellie, Magic Mike, Mad Raph, Neon Leon, and Don Tron.

Even though Bullhop fails at the game, they still cheer him on so he wouldn't feel discouraged anymore than he already is.

He then gets a spa day, getting a shoulder massage from Raph, a manicure from Mikey, fanned by Donnie, lemonade from Leo, and a pedicure by Amy, who looks disgusted at her job. He's sitting in Splinter's chair.

* * *

Bullhop Appreciation Day turns into Bullhop Appreciation Week. He was having so much fun that he didn't want to leave. They didn't think anything of it, since it was their fault that he was mutated in the first place.

Leo skates up the ramp, smiling as he holds out the skateboard. Bullhop falls into the ramp due to his size, Leo groaning with a facepalm. He then gets hit in the face with his own skateboard.

"Pizza in the morning, pizza at night," Leo and Amy sing in unison. Amy's gripping the turtle's shoulders as they dance in a conga line. Leo's holding a pizza pie with meat and pepperoni, wearing oven mitts. "Pizza in the evening, mmm, alright!" They put the pizza down on the table, Amy laughing.

"You, uh, you doing okay there, Mellie?" Raph asks slowly, secretly wondering if she's a clone. The real Amy would never join a conga line. Like, ever.

"Of course she is, she's hanging with me. The best influence," Leo smirks confidently. Amy silently rolls her eyes, smiling to herself. She wouldn't tell anyone, but she liked it when she could just have fun and not worry about anything. No responsibilities, no baking, no looking after the others. Just something to take her mind off things. Too bad reality had to sink back in...

They turn around to get the parmesan cheese, only to look back and see that the entire pizza has been eaten by Bullhop.

"What?!" Their eyes turn white in shock and he just gives them thumbs up for making him the pizza.

Bullhop then beats their high scores at 1.5 million, irritating the others.

He sings in the shower until he slips, ripping off the shower curtain. Splinter looks on in annoyance as he's sitting in the toilet, reading a magazine.

He makes a mess having fun in Donnie's lab, flying around in a jetpack and crashing into everything. Donnie grits his teeth as he has his shell turned to him, looking very frustrated.

The five leave him to the game as he's hogging it, setting it on fire.

Bullhop then eats ALL of Amy's cake batter while she's making a vlog video in the kitchen. She glares at him as Chewbacon is happily eating. Bullhop snatches Chewbacon's fruit display and eats it all, the pig snorting angrily at him.

She definitely felt bad for him, but that doesn't mean she has to like him.

* * *

When it's time to go to sleep, Amy walks out of the bathroom, only to find Bullhop sleeping in her bed. Amy growls in annoyance, trying to push him off. Trying to get a giant mutant bull off the softest mattress in the whole lair was like trying to get Raph off his butt in the morning.

She tries to pull him by his foot, only to fall on her butt a few minutes later. Getting onto her sock-covered feet, she dusts herself off and tries pushing from the left side. Bullhop doesn't budge, snoring loudly.

"Oh come on, how hard is it to move a bull?" She mutters under her breath, hands on her hips. She turns around and tries pushing him with her back, but he rolls over, sensing the unwanted touching. Unfortunately for Amy, he ends up laying right on top of her.

It felt like she was being crushed by a wrecking ball as she gasps for air.

Luckily, someone had heard Bullhop rolling over, and Leo rushes into the room. His eyes widen as he doesn't see their first guest, but their second one.

"My lady?" He whispers so as not to wake up the bull, not that Bullhop cared. He looks around, but he doesn't see her.

"Over...here," She chokes out, holding out her arm and hoping he could see it underneath all the fur. Leo eyes the hand, recognizing the skin and running into action. He grabs Amy's hand and pulls her out of there. She coughs a bit as he places a hand on her back.

"What happened?"

"Ask him," Amy points to Bullhop on her bed. "I can't sleep here, he'll just crush me to death."

She groans as she places a hand on her head. She really wanted some sleep, but with her bed taken, that wasn't going to happen. And she was not going to sleep on the floor; it was HER room after all. Temporarily her room, but still her room nonetheless.

"Sleep with me."

Her eyes widen slowly as one of them twitches, glancing at Leo. He holds up his hands with a big grin.

"Not like that. I meant as in sharing my bed. Wow, my lady, you have a dirty mind. I wonder what's on your mind, hm?" He places his hands behind his back, leaning towards her with a grin. She sputters, blushing at the situation. Not only that, but Leo's maskless face was really distracting...

"N-None of your business," She stammers, trying not to make her voice croak as she grabs a pillow. These damn hormones. She almost wondered how she ended up having...things for Leo.

Obviously she wasn't gonna _tell_ him. He'd just brag about it to the whole world and she'd be none the wiser.

"If you say so," He smirks as he follows her out the entrance. Amy jumps down to the lower level, hearing a thump that could only be Leo. She drags her pillow, rubbing an eye as she walks into his room.

"Huh..." She eyes the plants, organized shelves, and the bed facing the entrance. "You keep this room pretty clean."

"I have to. Splinter asked us to clean when you decided to stay here."

"Figures," She scoffs as she sits down, putting her pillow down. Glancing to her right, she sees Leo preparing a makeshift bed on the floor. "What are you doing?" She can't help but ask.

"What, you think I don't respect your space? Not me, pink-a-boo," He lays down on the mat, Amy staring at him. For some reason, her heart was beating really fast. Was it because of his unexpected respect of her or because of something else?

She didn't know, but she felt a longing to have him by her side...

But if she asked, that'd make her vulnerable, so she wouldn't. Even if it was Leo.

"You okay?" She hears his soft voice, closing her eyes.

"Ask me again when I'm in the hospital for broken ribs."

"Ha ha," Leo sits up to face her. "Guess he really took your breath away, huh?"

"Really, Leo?" She deadpans, putting a hand to her face.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop," He chuckles, laying down on his shell and looking up at the ceiling. "Why'd you think I'd really have-"

"This story is rated T for a reason," Amy looks to no one, winking.

"What?" Leo laughs at her. "So what do you plan on doing tomorrow?"

"Besides trying not to kill that bull? Who knows?" She shrugs and there's a pause.

"I was thinking we could try to patch up the bakery."

She's so surprised that she sits up to look at him. Leo has a far-off look, still staring at the ceiling. "Maybe...maybe then you could be feeling better."

"Oh..." She breathes out, sitting up. "Leo, thank you, but...I wanna do it on my own."

He glances at her, waiting for an explanation. "This is something that will take time, and...I don't know, I just feel like staying a little longer..."

"Oh?" He raises a brow with a smirk. "And why is that?"

"Shut up," She throws a pillow at his face and he chuckles.

"Well, I'm glad to have you around," He closes his eyes.

"And I'm glad that you're less of an idiot," She smiles as she closes her eyes too.

"Hey!"

"I did say _less._ "

* * *

One week turns into several until it's the day of a mission.

"Okay," Raph is looking at various food items with the others. "Big Mama's party's tonight. This is our chance to get some web goo. Here's the plan," He looks at two salt and two pepper shakers, placing down some baking soda. "We go in dressed as waiters, sneak on past her," The chicken timer is meant to represent Big Mama. "And nab the keys to her vault where she stores her goo."

Raph holds up Dregg's honey, with a disgusting looking alien on the front of it. He has purple skin with four eyes with a frowning mouth. "It'll be like taking candy from a-"

There's a crash, knocking the jar into Amy's hands. They peek from the kitchen, gasping to see Bullhop exercising using the TV. Because of his size, he's knocking down some things until he sits in the armchair, grabbing a carton of milk and gulping it down. He throws it and it hits Donnie's face, who looks disgusted by what he just did. Drinking milk from the carton was a major offense.

"That's it! He has to go!"

"Yeah!" Raph agrees with him, "We gotta sneak into that party tonight. We can't leave him here, and we sure can't take him with us."

"But I feel terrible," Leo says, giving puppy eyes. "We're the ones who made him into this."

"I feel the same," Amy gestures to herself, "But I don't know how he'll handle us sending him away. It'll crush him."

"Guys," They glance at Mikey, "I'm Dr. Delicate Touch. Let me handle this," He backs away to Bullhop.

"Uh huh," Donnie answers skeptically, looking at the others. He was sure that Bullhop would react badly.

"Why do I feel like he'll be the opposite of delicate?" Amy asks, looking down at the honey jar in her hand, eyeing the alien on it. _Ugh, he looks like an arrogant, vindictive bastard. I hope I never meet him in space if I end up going. If that happened, though, I feel like I'd be wearing some cool purple space gear._

Bullhop, surrounded by stuff that he accidentally broke, is just relaxing in the chair as Mikey walks up to him. Mikey wipes himself off, sitting on Bullhop's left side.

"Bullhop, we're friends," Mikey places a hand on the mutant bull's shoulder, and he snorts happily that he has a friend. "So this will be very easy to say," He grips Bullhop's collar with both hands. "YOU'VE GOT TO GO! HIT THE BRICKS. SLAPPY!"

"What?" Bullhop asks in confusion with teary eyes. "You're kicking me out...?"

"That's right! You have been working a nerve, hoser!" Mikey tells him, a vein on his forehead.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Leo places a hand on Mikey's shoulder, stepping in before Bullhop got too emotional. "Let's take it easy—are you wiping your mouth with my Jupiter Jim comic?!"

Bullhop quickly throws it away and Amy sighs, walking up to them.

"What Leo means is—please don't tell me that you're using my recipe book to wipe yourself off with!" She sees one of her written baking books near his butt and he smiles innocently.

"Nope and nope." He gets on his knees. "I'm sorry. Please, let me make it up to you."

"No way, chico. We've got a big mission tonight and we don't have time for...this whole situation," Mikey gestures to Bullhop's open jacket, his lazy socks, and his lazy build.

"A mission? I can help!" He gestures to himself. If they kick him out, he has nowhere else to go. So he's going to make them see that he deserves to stay.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Amy cringes as she glances to the others for help.

"No ho way," Leo narrows his eyes, gesturing to five waiter costumes. One of them is a large for Raph, while the other ones are smaller. "We're sneaking into Big Mama's to snag her web goo. A klutz like you would only get us caught." He hears a sniffle, looking up to see Bullhop sagging on the chair.

"I wasn't a klutz until I met you guys..."

Leo groans at this tactic, facepalming and dragging a hand down his face.

"God dangit," Amy mutters as she rubs a temple. She was trying really hard to not let them kick him out.

"Okay, okay, if you can just sit here and not break anything till we get back, we'll talk, okay?" He smiles widely so as not to look suspicious. He had no idea how his other two brothers would react, but he could possibly talk them into letting Bullhop stay a little longer. Bullhop only nods slowly and the three leave him. He eyes the costumes on the rack.

"Or I could..."

"I don't hear any sobbing, so...it must be going okay," Raph eyes the kitchen entrance, Donnie sitting from across him. They had made a pizza, half of it eaten. The biggest turtle takes a huge bite out of his slice, humming in delight. "Unless he's just crying silently on the inside."

"Good news, guys!" Leo announces, entering with Amy and Mikey. He has a big smile on his face. "I totally punted. We'll do our dangerous mission and deal with the unpleasantness later," He jerks a thumb to the living room.

"I just hope he doesn't do anything stupid," Amy crosses her arms. "I'm not sure how much longer I can handle him taking over my bed."

"Ah," Raph stands up, the pizza slice dropping out of his mouth. "Okay, let's get to Big Mama's gala!"

* * *

He shouts in horror once he sees the ripped waiter costumes. Donnie has his back turned to them, and Bullhop is no longer where they left him.

"I don't even have to turn around to see how this turned out," He turns around anyway. "Well, I've turned around and I see."

"Looks like Goldilocks tried on all your waiter outfits before he got to mine," Raph frowns, displeased as he puts his hands on his hips.

"What made him think he'd fit into a size 11?" Amy holds up bits of her costume.

"Would he really be insane enough to try to make up for everything by doing our dangerous mission on his own? Of course he would, let's go!"

* * *

A butterfly mutant flies by Digg, who are dressed in suits at the hotel. Bullhop is standing at the entrance of the ballroom, holding a tray of champagne. He takes one step and trips on his face, dropping the drinks. He takes a tray of pigs in a blanket from another waiter, who doesn't even notice. Bullhop sighs in relief, taking on a stoic face like the other waiters and walking into the room.

The turtles and Amy are watching him from above. If they stepped in now, Big Mama would see them. With her, she wouldn't exactly be welcoming, considering how they tried to steal from her. And she hates people who try to steal from her.

"Oh man, I never should've told him our plan," Leo looks away in slight guilt. "Donnie, what are the odds he can pull this off?"

"The guy once broke a pillow," Donnie turns to him with deadpan eyes. "So 1% he said overconfidently."

"Regardless of what happened, he's obviously gonna get caught. And without our costumes, there's no way to get in there without Big Mama recognizing us..."

"Maybe you could've catered the event and she'd look past it?" Mikey suggests, the girl immediately standing up.

"I would rather go in there without a costume then to cater for her! She tried to mutate me! Plus, these hands aren't ready to bake for bad guys," She holds up her hands.

"Okay, I'm in," Bullhop presses a finger to his ear, despite him not having a listening device. "Just need to find the guy who has the keys to Big Mama's goo room and...borrow them," He walks off to find someone who would have the keys.

"Who's he talking to?" Raph asks curiously.

"I told him earlier that if he touched his ear, he could talk to anybody in the world," Donnie explains, "I was trying to get some work done."

"And he believed you?" Amy snorts as Mikey presses his finger to his ear.

"Roger that, Mr. President."

"Never mind, I believe it," Amy sighs slowly.

Bullhop slips pasts the guests. "Hors d'oeuvres? Finger food? Canape?"

He glances to the vault, the owl bellhop closing the door and locking it, closing in hundreds of goo inside. He puts the keys behind his coat and Bellhop catches sight of him. This was it, he could get the goo and win over his friends.

"I've found the keys to the web goo room. Engage."

"Oh, I read his lips. He's engaging. Perfect," Donnie drawls out the last word, knowing that this was going to end badly.

Bullhop walks past the other guests, sweating. If he couldn't pull this off, it was goodbye sweet life. "Just gotta get to owl man and I'll-"

Big Mama comes out of nowhere, blocking his way from the owl bellhop. She gives him a flirty look. "Oh hello, cutie noodle."

"Ah!" He shouts in surprise, sweating profusely. "Big Mama! Abort, abort, abort," He slips and drops the pigs in a blanket. They fly above Big Mama, who catches one in her mouth with a big snap. She smacks her lips, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"I haven't seen you before. Are you new here?" She eyes him, apparently not remembering that she saw him get mutated. She didn't seem to care, as she found Bellhop...interesting.

"No, I'm the bellhop that used to work-"

"Bullhop!" Mikey presses his finger to his ear. "Don't blow your cover!"

"Mikey, you know he can't-" He sees the turtles signaling her not to tell him. "Never mind!"

"I mean, yes," Bullhop nods slowly as she gets closer. "They brought me in from Etobicoke to bring this place a little Canadian class." She dances around him, resting her head on his chest.

"Big Mama doesn't normally fraternize with the staff, but do you cut a rug?" She shakes her hips slightly, grabbing his bow tie. "Jam and jivvie?" She pulls him forward, looking at him in the eye. "Trip the light splendiferous?"

"I don't know what most of that means, but sure!"

Suddenly, the guests surround the dance floor, neon lights surrounding their feet.

"That is not good," Raph comments as he realizes what's happening. Big Mama places her hand on his shoulder with a hum, smirking. He looks down at the dance floor, imaging it as the game pad from Pants Pants Revolution. He takes a step forward and smiles a bit. He takes her hand and steps back, tripping as she temporarily leads him. She throws him away and saunters up to the rolling bull, grabbing his arm and pulling him. He grins confidently and spins her around rapidly, dipping her. She kicks a leg into the air as he does a pirouette.

"Whoa," The turtles and Amy say in awe. They didn't know that all of those games were practice.

"He almost dances better than me!" Amy gestures to herself. Big Mama places a hand on his chest as he spins to her, taking his hand and taking the lead again. She twirls around and rests her back against his furry chest, his hands on her lower hips. He bends down, lifting her up in the air and spinning her. She actually flies into the air as he does a dab. As she strikes a pose, the dance lights illuminate her face in a silver glow.

The other bellhops drop their mouths in shock, one of them dropping their plate of food. She lands on Bullhop's shoulders, the bull smiling as they cheer.

"That boy can move, baby!" Mikey cheers, Leo suddenly feeling inspired.

"Gross that Big Mama's giving him that look, though," Amy comments, Leo standing up.

"Let's dance, my lady!" He grabs Amy's hand and pulls her away from the window. She laughs and they start doing the same tango they did at Times Square.

While Bullhop and Big Mama are tangoing around, he tries to get the keys from the owl bellhop. Big Mama has hearts around her, his dance moves so...splendiferous!

Bullhop tries to get closer to the bellhop stuffing his face and reaches out to the keys, Big Mama hugging him close. He trips, causing the bellhop to fall on his face.

Bullhop stares down at Big Mama as hearts come from her, glancing up and grinning at the keys on his right horn.

"He actually did it! He's got the keys!" Raph smiles in relief. "We gotta get down there!"

Suddenly the window moves due to their weight and they fall right all over the food. "Well that's the fast way down," Leo looks up at the salad on top of his head.

"But not the stealthiest one!" Amy's eyes widen at the guests, who gasp at their intrusion.

"Guys!" Bullhop drops Big Mama out of his arms. "I got the keys!" His eyes widen at Big Mama, running off to their side.

"The turtle-boos and Amelia-welia? Get them!"

"Okay, who came up with that?" Amy narrows her eyes.

"Uh oh," Raph looks at the approaching bellhops, who jump into the air, heading right towards them. Mikey's eyes widen as they tackle down his brothers and Amy to the ground. He then notices that the vault is completely unguarded.

"Bullhop, the keys!" He mimics running to the stiff Bullhop, who glances at the keys next to his ear. He throws them to Mikey. "Yes!"

Big Mama slides in front of the vault, knowing fully well what they're after. Her eyes turn yellow.

"Hold them off!" Mikey shouts to the others. "I'll get the goo!"

Suddenly, he's caught in a web and gets stuck to the wall. The others glance at him, looking back nervously to the big bellhops.

"Uh oh," Leo eyes the big shadow behind the curtains, Big Mama transforming into her spider self. She looms over the bellhops, slamming down an arm and knocking them all to the ground in front of Mikey. They immediately get to their feet.

"We've gotta get out of here," Donnie says, glaring up at Big Mama.

"What about the web goo?" Leo wonders as she gets closer.

"What about staying alive?" Amy retorts back.

"We'll get it some other way."

"Well, you little meddle-doos, it's time for you to find out why you don't crash Big Mama's box socials!"

Bullhop cringes nervously as Big Mama has his friends cornered, hiding behind a table. "Oh, this is all my fault. I gotta do something." He suddenly gets an idea, but it required Big Mama's attention. "Hey! Big Mama!"

She turns around to him, the others trying to figure out just what he's doing.

The costume rips off, revealing it damaged. "You dance like you have eight left feet!"

"So, your feather feet mask a skanktonious traitor?!" She exclaims in anger, launching webs from her mouth. Bullhop immediately grabs at least 8 pitchers in his arms, throwing his arms around to catch them with a big grin.

"GUYS!" He starts running over to them with panicked eyes. "I got 8 pitches of web goo!" He slips on the floor and drops all but one, breaking them. "Guys, I've got one pitcher of goo!" He spins his legs, speeding out of there before Big Mama can do anything. The others follow his example.

"We out!"

"Alright!"

"Wait!" Big Mama calls out to Bullhop, but he doesn't come back for her... "Alas..." She picks up one of his forgotten shoes. "The way he danced...I thought his shoe was made of magic..." She hugs the shoe, swooning at her lost love...

The group cheer in the alley outside the hotel.

"Yeah!"

"Yes!"

"Woo hoo!"

"Yeah!"

"Alright, Bullhop, listen," Bullhop's ears drop as Raph speaks up. As much as he hated to admit it, the annoying bull did help them out. "We've been thinking about it, and uh..."

"Come on, Raph," Leo pats his shoulder. "You can do it."

Raph growls at Leo's smug look. "You're welcome to stay with us anytime you want," Raph growls out the words reluctantly.

"Hey, thanks, guys. But you know, I was thinking I gotta get myself together. I gotta learn how to deal with...this whole situation," He gestures to his body. "And i think I found the way. Through the dance," He spins around, Leo and Raph glancing at each other.

"Mutant Canadian ballet!"

"What?" Raph asks in confusion as the bull dances away, landing in a trash can.

"Whoo hoo!" Leo tries to look supportive as he claps, but after that...no. "That sounds great, good for you!"

"You sure you don't wanna join the Mad Dogs?" Mikey calls out. "Cuz I was all set to kick Donnie out and let you have Amy's room permanently." Something suddenly hits his shell and Amy smirks, holding Donnie's tranquilizer gun. Donnie looks away innocently.

"Thanks," Amy turns to Donnie. After what happened that one night, she wasn't letting Bullhop use her room ever again.

"No probbles...now let's hide the body."

"No," Raph and Leo say in unison.

"Aww, you never let us have fun!" Amy and Donnie both pout.


	26. Mind Meld

Donnie puts on his goggles to scan the building in front of them, Amy and April's school. He sees someone sliding down from the roof, lifting up his goggles, a brunette standing next to him. Amy is wearing a grey sweater that has rhinestones on the shoulders. She has a white blouse underneath her sweater. It's tucked underneath a tulle pink skirt as she wears grey knee-high boots. Her hair is in pigtails with pink ties. He turns on his wrist computer.

"This is Purple Knight and Mod Pink. Is everyone in position?"

Raph says something that Amy can't hear as she's typing away like Donnie asked her to. He's wearing a big trench coat with a hat on his head. "Mikey is in position," Mikey reports as he's the one at the building.

"Whoa whoa whoa," Leo interrupts from his phone. "Why does Mikey get to use his real name as his codename?"

Donnie sighs slowly, Amy shaking her head. "He doesn't. Orange Pond, please use your-"

"What?!" Mikey asks upsettingly. "Why am I the pond?"

"You're not actually a pond," Amy says from her phone. "It's-"

"I'm changing my codename too!" Leo calls out as he's standing in front of the building. "Uh, Blue Bluey. No, Blue, uh-"

"No!" Donnie exclaims so loud that Leo has to put his phone away from his ear. "No! No one is changing their codenames. Please everybody, just pay attention." He sighs slowly. More often or not, this was how most missions went. They'd focus on something else and it would take forever to get them on track, if they even got that far. "We are dealing with the Purple Dragons. Evil, villainous hackers."

As he's talking, Raph notices something while he's at the fire escape. A pigeon takes a hold of a slice of pizza.

"Now, they have the Dragon's Tooth," Raph starts to film the pigeon with his phone. "Mod Pink, can you see the target?"

"Yup," Amy pulls up a map of the school. "The computer room is right in front of Mikey and the Dragon's Tooth is inside."

"Uh, double checking. It is a real dragon's tooth, right?" Mikey speaks up as he's cleaning a window.

"No, no it is not because dragons nor their teeth are real," Donnie closes his eyes at his line of questioning. Honestly, it was as if his brothers all shared the same mind. Even Raph, the oldest. "What it is is a piece of technology so powerful that if it falls in their hands, we could be looking at something apocalyptic!"

While he's talking, Leo snores in boredom, Raph continuing to film the pigeon.

"That is why everyone needs to be ready," Donnie warns as Raph gets closer to the fire escape, the pigeon starting to get away. "The Purple Dragons are serious-"

Raph falls over the fire escape, landing into the alley below. "Red Cape, report. Are you okay? I repeat, are you okay?"

He snatches his phone in annoyance, putting it to his ear. "Not really. There's a pigeon with pizza in its mouth. It's a pizza pigeon! I gotta get it for my social, bro."

"Ah...okay..." Amy says slowly. She didn't really care because weird stuff always happens in New York.

"Pizza pigeon?" Leo asks in excitement. "Awesome!"

"We're gonna be internet famous!" Mikey cheers, "You gotta get that picture, Raph."

"I'm trying!"

"Guys!" Donnie interrupts them. Raph shushes him, Amy dragging a hand across her cheek in disbelief.

"I'm taking a picture!"

"You're terrible at pictures, I'm coming over," Leo tells him.

"And there it is," Donnie sighs slowly. "As usual, looks like we gotta handle this ourselves. Cyber Bishop, Mia, Plan B."

"See that, that is a cool codename," Leo comments to which Donnie rolls his eyes.

"Let's do this, bro and dudette!" Shelldon exclaims, Donnie throwing a purple orb towards the building. When it sticks to the window, it creates a hole, Mikey looking back across the building. He cringes as Donnie jumps on Shelldon, Amy summoning her bike. She jumps off the building and her bike catches her gently. They fly through the hole, Donnie dragging Mikey with him inside the computer room. The pigeon passes by and Raph continues to film it.

Mikey lands roughly inside and looks up with big eyes. "Hey! There it is!"

A large container holds the Dragon's Tooth underneath a cyber shield. "Mikey, don't!" Donnie calls out as Mikey steps through a laser. Purple Dragon gargoyles fly towards the two, showing a bundle of weapons. "Orange Pond, Purple Knight, and Mod Pink are in trouble." A laser points itself at Amy and Donnie's head. "We need backup."

"On it. Hey, Leo," Raph turns to his brother, who points to something.

"Pizza pigeon!"

The pigeon turns around, both of them pointing at it. Amy glances at Donnie, who has multiple lasers pointed at him. "Guys, where are you? Guys? Mikey!"

Mikey is about to snatch the Dragon's Tooth when a beach ball trap ensnares him. It lifts up into the air and he screams as he flies towards Donnie.

"Beach ball..." He can see it now on a postcard, eyes twitching. "Why did it have to be my greatest fear? Why did it have to be beach balls?!" Mikey crashes right into him.

* * *

When they arrive back, Leo and Mikey are patting Raph's shell. "Hey, it's not your fault," Leo assures.

"It's okay. You'll get it next time," Mikey comments as Raph looks at his phone forlornly.

"Didn't get the photo," Donnie says slowly, his anger boiling. Amy puts down a plate of chocolate chip muffins in front of Raph. He takes one and scarfs it down into his mouth. "Didn't get the photo?! Because you were too focused on a pigeon with pizza, a piece of military-grade technology remains in the hands of-"

"A high school tech club?" Leo asks teasingly.

"Don't get him started," Amy murmurs, shaking her head. "He's still mad they stole his stuff and tricked him."

"That's right!" Donnie says, gritting his teeth. He hated them for making him believe that he could be in a group of geniuses like him. That's all he wanted. Was that so hard to ask for?

"Yeah well your fear of beach balls didn't help any," Leo leans back in his chair. "I just don't think we were all on the same page."

"Not on the same page, huh?" Donnie shakes Leo a bit. Amy sighs slowly. "Well I think the problem is while I come up with brilliant plans, you guys just goof around. Like dumb dumbs," Donnie throws a box of crayons while they look uninterested in his lecture. "Cause you're dumb. Dumb dumb dumbies," He mutters as he walks away.

"Don't listen to him," Amy rolls her eyes as she runs after the turtle.

"I mean you can kinda see it here," Raph holds up his phone.

"Donnie, you can't pin this on them," Amy says once she's caught up to him.

"Why not?! They never listen to me and just goof off! I should just make them as smart as me one of these days!"

"You can't do that. No matter what, you can't just change people just to benefit you. Your brothers may be a little dense sometimes, but they're still _your_ family. Promise me that you won't make a machine and change them."

He sighs slowly. "Alright, I promise."

* * *

Mikey skates back and forth, Amy reading a baking magazine in the living room. "And that move is why I'm gonna crush you in Skate Ball tomorrow," Mikey brags, Raph taking a picture. Suddenly, there's an explosion and Donnie stands at the lab entrance.

"I've done it!"

Raph coughs as they stare at him. "Done what?"

Amy walks up to them, Donnie glancing at her nervously. He had made a machine, but he wasn't going to tell her that. Once she saw how smart they would be, she'd come around.

"I have created something that will make us unstoppable." He's holding a remote in his hand.

"Have you finally finished your drill?" Mikey asks in awe.

"Ha ha ha ha!" Amy rolls her eyes at Donnie's laughter. "No."

"Is it my Skate Hawks idea? You see, the Hawks that we strap to ourselves and then-"

"You say the word, I'm ready to go wrangle some Hawks!" Leo agrees with him. Donnie leans in to whisper.

"No, it's something to help you. You see, that Jeremy guy from those Purple Dragon punks had a crush on Mia, so-"

"Wait, what?" Leo looks at Donnie in the eye as soon as those words came out. "Donnie. I don't know if you know this, but it would've been nice for you to tell me!"

"Oh, uh, it slipped my mind?" Donnie glances away. It was kind of hard to ignore that Jeremy had a crush on Amy—before he was caught, that is. He could see why Amy didn't tell Leo to spare him the theatrics. Amy raises an eyebrow at them, wondering what they're arguing about.

"...I'm testing it."

"Leo, do you even know what you're doing?" Raph asks skeptically, crossing his arms.

"If Amy likes smart bad boys, then maybe it's time that I change tactics," Leo rubs his chin.

"T-That's not a thing," Donnie tries to tell him.

"I thought she said she didn't have a type," Mikey adds in.

"She doesn't. After all...it's Mellie."

"True," All the turtles say in unison, glancing at the girl, who had given up trying to figure out and had gone back to her magazine.

"But what if she was just saying that?" Leo frowns at the possibility. Amy didn't seem like she was lying when he had asked about her type, but then again, she rarely talked about herself unless she wanted to. "What if she really does like smart bad boys and I've been wasting time by doing all the wrong things? Girls never say what they mean."

Donnie pushes them into his lab. "It won't be Skate Hawks."

"Uh," Raph looks around as the three are in a machine that looks like a brain from inside. "What's going on?"

"Oh, just let me close you into the Mental Intelligence Reprogramulator—I mean, the Pizza Fun Box," He corrects himself and their eyes shine.

"Pizza Fun Box!" They cheer loudly and Donnie grins to himself.

"Everything's going to be brilliant, four times as brilliant!" He laughs as he pulls down the lever. "Evil laugh!" He wasn't going to get Amy involved because she's as smart as him. She does get straight As after all in school, and she runs a successful business—well, not at the moment. Everything sparks as Donnie laughs evilly, rubbing his hands together. He looks at their intelligence levels increasing. The machine sparks and then everything is white.

The three land on the ground once they step out. Donnie gasps, lifting his goggles as he stares at Leo. "Did it work?" He's not sure as Leo has his tongue sticking out. "How do you feel?"

Leo pulls up a Rubik's cube before solving it. "I feel...smarter," He says the last word in a British accent, holding up the completed cube.

"By Hawking, it worked!" Donnie cheers in amazement. "You dumb dumbs are as smart as me now!"

"Are we smart as you?" Donnie turns to Mikey and Raph. Mikey's reading a book while Raph is writing down formulas. "Or as intelligent as you?"

"You know, it might seem like semantics, but it is an important distinction," Raph speaks up.

"This is the greatest day of my life," Donnie comments quietly. "Relishing chuckle. Now, who is ready for a...second try?"

* * *

"Let's get that Dragon's Tooth," Donnie announces once they're back at the school. "Alright, Mikey, you-"

"On it," Mikey falls towards the school, seeing the Purple Dragon gargoyle guards. They start to fire missiles, but he throws his whip, the fire spirit flying past the missiles. He makes them explode into the air, Amy staring up in shock. Mikey lands near Raph.

"Raph, are you-"

"In position," Raph looks up at the guards, who switch to ground mode and head towards him. "Hydraulics," He presses a button from a remote, a ramp lifting up in the air. The guards fly off into the air.

"Leo, get ready to-"

"All set." Leo has three portals ready for each guard. "Wormholes!"

They land in the dumpster, Amy staring at it, blinking. "Oh. It's everything I ever wanted," He lifts down his goggles.

"Okay, am I dreaming?" Amy asks herself. Mikey slips into the hole and stands in front of the Dragon's Tooth.

"One must take one's time." He sneaks past it and then looks around. "Eureka."

Kendra left a post it that says 'Do NOT power off.' Mikey removes the paper and flips the shields off. He holds it up for the others to see.

"I am so proud of you. Aw, they grow up so fast."

"Donnie, what just happened?" Amy rubs her neck in confusion and he shrugs.

"Maybe they finally had a reality check."

She frowns at his answer, sensing that he had something to do with this...

* * *

"I am pleased to announce we are finally an unstoppable team," Donnie high threes his brothers when they return home. "And, I have been waiting for a long time to do this."

They look up as music sounds off, raining confetti on them. "Successful mission dance party!" Donnie cheers as speakers appear behind them. They start dancing, everyone except Amy.

"I'm dancing," Leo says in an eloquent tone.

"This is too weird," Amy murmurs, rubbing her temples.

"It's like looking into a beautiful, beautiful mirror," Donnie caresses the speaker in happiness.

"Huh, it's such an advanced piece of technology," Raph examines the Dragon's Tooth. "It's hard to decide what to use it on."

"I know, I know," Donnie takes it from him. "But it's gotta be great since we can only use it once." He bumps into something.

"What if we could use it to launch a whole network of satellites?" Leo points up to a functional satellite he built. Amy opens her mouth wide at it. "Ah, Amelia, my dear," He jumps down to her. "The cheekbones," He pats her cheeks, "The hair, the intelligent mind you have. You are truly a model in science."

"...I'm sorry, what?" She asks in confusion at his words. Leo would never call her Amelia, and his words are...different. He didn't even use a oneliner. Leo ALWAYS uses those.

"Or we could use it to power my super collider," Mikey stands in front of it proudly.

"Wow. How did you build that?" Donnie rubs his neck. He couldn't even know where to start when it came to building colliders.

"With some spare parts in your workshop," Mikey answers with a smile, Amy's eye twitching in shock. Okay, something was definitely wrong. Mikey building a super collider was not only impossible, it also doesn't make any sense. After all...

It's Mikey.

"I'm sorry, you went into _my_ workshop?" Donnie asks him.

"Yes," Mikey winks at him. "And I also reorganized your motherboards by processing power."

Amy can only make sounds of shock as she drops her drink, eye twitching. "What am I seeing...?"

"Smart," Donnie drags out the word, silently upset that Mikey used his things and also reorganized them. He takes a deep breath. His brothers are smart now, it's only reasonable that they use his things... "Cool, cool, cool. Cool, cool, cool. What a day," he walks off.

At nighttime, everyone is asleep. But this time, the three now-smart brothers are doing scientific work in their sleep. Their brains glow purple as they start to get smarter...

* * *

The next morning, Donnie is skateboarding, Amy watching him. The smart trio are heading off to his lab. "So guys, who's ready for our big game of Skate Ball?" He holds up five skateboards, grinning widely.

"No can do," Raph shakes his head, "Got lots of work, definitely, lots of work."

Raph...doing work? Raphael, the leader and probably one of the most biggest goof offs ever, wants to do work?

"Who are you and what have you done with Raphael?" Amy's eyes widen as she backs away slowly. She's about to fall when Leo catches her.

"Ah, my intellectual muse. Parting is such sweet sorrow, but work must come first," Leo pats her head and she just stares as she watches them leave. Leo wouldn't say anything like that at all. She was...slightly flattered, but it wasn't the same...

"Oh yeah, oh okay," Donnie says sadly.

"Actually," Donnie grins as Leo puts a hand on his shoulder. He gasps sharply as Leo takes a skateboard...and then screws off one of the wheels. "I have been looking everywhere for some swizz ball bearing. It is all about ball bearing nowadays."

"Why are they acting so weird?" Amy murmurs to herself, Donnie closing his eyes sadly. He was starting to miss hanging out with them...

* * *

Donnie walks up to them, holding a pizza box. "Hey guys!" He opens it, hoping that they'll eat some. Maybe...maybe a sense of their old selfs would be there. "Pizza's here."

They're too busy working in his lab to notice, or even care. "You're not gonna even take a break for pizza? What about you? Mikey?" Donnie smiles as he knows that Mikey would never turn down a pizza. "Pizza, huh?"

"Can't, too busy rewiring your systems," He has goggles over his eyes as Donnie looks over his shoulder.

"Rewiring my systems? What? Dang, that is some tasty circuit work, Mikey. But wait, you're messing with my tech?"

Amy peeks in as she watches them, rubbing her eyes and then looking back. She's not dreaming, this is actually happening. It's like the whole world has turned upside down. Did she unknowingly step into another universe?

"Tech?" Raph laughs at the thought. "You call this junk tech?"

"Yeah, sick burn Raph," Donnie grins, laughing. "Wait...you burned me. What's going on here?"

Amy would like to know that too, but if she confronts them, they won't tell her anything. "Why don't you go keep yourself and my muse busy with that skateboard thing of yours so we can do the real work? Go go, off off."

Amy says nothing at Leo's accent. "Hey wait, you're trying to get rid of me. That's what I do, but to you!"

"We're just a little busy," Raph pinches the air. "Let's suit up, shall we?"

They take off their masks and Raph pulls out a marker. They draw on thick eyebrows onto purple masks and put them on. Now, they all have purple masks, Mikey wearing glasses over his eyes. Amy covers her mouth in shock.

"What is going on?" She murmurs as she steps out into the open.

"Whoa, you look magnificent! But...I thought purple was my-my thing," Donnie slowly drops the pizza box. Splinter looks on, rubbing his eyes. He blinks slowly at the three, shrugging. It was probably a phase of theirs, so he leaves.

"Ah," Leo walks up to Amy. "How do you like my new look? Do I look smarter? Trick question, the answer is yes. And we've taken the liberty of repairing your shop for you." He gives Amy pictures and she looks at them in shock, but also sadness.

"You...did? Oh..." She murmurs, she didn't think it would be that soon...

"Don't look so sad, Amelia. Now you can do wondrous things!" Leo grins, putting an arm around her shoulder as she's frowning.

* * *

"I flew too close to the sun, Shelldon," Donnie says at 10 PM. "Who would've though a team full of Donnies would be more nightmare than a dream come true? Not I, that's for sure."

"Yeah, you beefed it," Shelldon tells him.

"Yes, I beefed it," Donnie admits, sighing. "Well, we know what we must do."

"I'll ready the disposal unit," Shelldon emits deadly and powerful weapons.

"Uh, not that, too soon. But I like where your head's at. Ah, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I miss the dumb dumbs. I want my brothers back."

Amy sees Donnie sulking, crossing her arms. She knows that Leo, Raph, and Mikey have been acting...strange. It's almost as if they're as smart as Donnie, if not more.

Donnie looks up to see her and sighs. "Oh, Lia. I need your...advice."

" _My_ advice?" She asks slowly, raising a brow. Donnie never asks for advice, so she already knows that something is wrong.

"Well...if I tell you what happened to my brothers, will you promise not to get mad?"

"Depends. What did you do?" Amy glares at Donnie.

"I may have...enhanced their intelligence."

"You did what?! Why?!" She demands, about to punch him.

"You promised not to get mad!" He reminds her and she recoils back in frustration with a grunt. She could care less that they were smart. She's seen them, and she would prefer if they were themselves. Most importantly, though, she secretly liked Leo's jokes...without those, he just wasn't Leo. It would be like she never baked in her life.

"So not only did you lie, you went behind my back and did it anyway," She drags a hand down her face. "Dude, what were you thinking?"

"They were better off! And Leo wanted it!"

 _He...wanted it? Why would he do that?_

"Donnie, that's not the point," She changes the subject. He was not getting out of this. "You're a terrible friend and an even worse brother. Friends don't lie and do something like this behind their backs."

"I know, I know," He sighs in defeat. "I'm...sorry," He whispers it so low she could barely hear him.

"What was that?"

"I said I'm...sorry," He repeats louder, sagging. "I shouldn't have done it. I want them back, Lia."

Her eyes soften as she sees how guilty he looks. "Donnie, I want that too. But if you want them back to normal, they're not going to change back willingly."

"So what should I do?" Donnie asks desperately.

"Ask yourself what you would do," She tells him. "What would you do if it was you?"

"Hmm...I would bait them! Oh, I love that idea!"

"Now you just need a plan," Amy rubs her chin.

"Me?" Donnie asks in confusion. "You're not gonna help me?!"

"Donnie, you got yourself into this mess, now you have to get yourself out of it."

"Oh please please please help me!" He begs, getting on his knees and hugging her waist. She sighs at him, smirking. He looks up and sees her face. "What?"

"I'll help you if you say it."

"Say wha...?" He pauses as he realizes what he had to say. "Aw, do I have to?"

"You want me to help you, don't you? You certainly don't want your brothers stuck like this forever..." She has a look of amusement and his eyes turn white.

"No no! I'll say it! You...you were right..."

"And?" She sings teasingly.

"And I should've listened to you."

"And?" She sings again, Donnie giving a look of confusion.

"What else is there to say? I already said you were right."

"Oh nothing. I just wanted to hear you say I was right again!"

* * *

She plants some 'fancy pizza' that she 'baked' and quickly gets out of there. The three smell it and peek into the kitchen. "Artisan flatbread!"

Mikey reaches out to it, but it turns out to be a hologram. A cage drops down from the ceiling, trapping them.

"Yes!" Donnie cheers as he and Amy come out of hiding. "Still got it!"

They hear laughter behind them, gasping as they see the real trio. "Nice try, version 1.0. And my muse, a traitor?"

They look back in shock to see holograms in the cage. "No, it can't be. We've been outhologrammed. By you!"

"Unbelievable," Amy murmurs in shock and they laugh, dancing like the holograms as they leave. The holograms disappear and Donnie sighs sadly.

Amy pats Donnie's shoulder, her eyes sad. Raph could be a brute and bossy sometimes, but his heart was always in the right place. True, he lacked in leadership, but he was still a good big brother to them and her. Mikey...the joy, the artist, though he is naïve at times...he was the only one she actually tolerated, and in a good way. She could never be mad at him, he was too good for that...

But worst of all...

She'd never hear any of Leo's jokes again...as much as she didn't want to admit it, she missed how dense he could be at times. Not only does he make her laugh, she feels safe with him. That lightheartedness of his was something she lacked, but it fit Leo.

Amy blinks back tears, wiping them away with the back of her hand. She never dreamed of crying over a mutant, but deep, deep, deep down...

She really cared for him...for all her friends...

If it wasn't for them, she'd be lonely, and she would always be grateful for that. She loved spending time with them, and living in the lair felt...felt like a home. It was as if she found herself with them...

* * *

Donnie walks into his room, Amy following. She sees him sag to the floor. "I've failed. I've lost my brothers, forever. I know we didn't always see eye to eye, but I'm really gonna miss you guys." He looks up at group pictures of them, April, and Amy. "It was messy, but gosh, it was fun. Which is totally something Leo would've said after he cut that worm guy in half."

"Now what?" Amy asks with a sigh.

"Lia?"

"Yeah?" She murmurs, trying not to sound weak in front of him.

"Am I really that terrible of a friend?"

"...Well..." She bites her lip nervously. "I shouldn't have said that...but then again, you don't have a good track record."

He sighs at her not giving a straight answer. "That's not what I asked."

"...No. While you do lie and do things without thinking, you are still physically there for your friends and family...emotionally, not as much. But that's okay, Donnie. You don't need to be emotional to be a good friend. You just don't do that. I can understand."

"Not as much. You changed as a friend more than I have," He murmurs and she pauses. It's true that she's changed a little, but she's still as tough as she used to be. Just not as much as she used to be on the inside.

"That's because you guys changed me," She smiles softly. "And yes, Donnie, even you. Now I know not to change people."

"You're never gonna let me live this down, are you?" He sighs, hanging his head.

"Nope."

"Don't beat yourself up," Shelldon appears next to them. "It's just 100 percent your fault like Amy said."

"I never said that," Amy narrows her eyes at him.

"Beat myself up?" Donnie asks slowly. What would he do to beat himself? What is his greatest fear? "Beat myself up. Gasp, I've got it! To get my brothers back, I don't need to outsmart them, I need to outsmart myself."

"Huh?" Amy asks and he doesn't answer.

* * *

The skate park has now become a lab as Donnie lands near Mikey. "We give up. You guys are too smart to be fooled. We'll just leave you and the Dragon's Tooth alone."

"Does this apology have any strings attached?" Mikey narrows his eyes suspiciously.

"No no," Donnie literally has an attached string swinging back and forth. "That is what we're saying."

"Yup. You're too good for us," Amy nods, hands behind her back. "There's no strings attached at all."

"Uh, there's literally a string attached to him," Raph points to the back of Donnie's shell.

"Whatever you do, don't pull that. It's just a prototype for a new aquatic battle shell."

"They told you not to pull it," Raph points at the string. "Which of course means you should pull it."

"Unless they're doing the 'double' reverse-reverse, then you should not pull it," Mikey points out.

"Ah, there it is. Classic Donnie overthink," Donnie grins at Amy, who winks at him.

"Ah, it's the triple reverse. I'm pulling it," Leo pulls it, Raph gasping as the string snaps off. Suddenly, Donnie is caught in a beach ball.

"You can do this, Donnie. You can do this." He rolls forward to them.

"Giant beach ball?!" They all exclaim. Amy spins her axe into her hand and it turns into a beach ball launcher. They all scream, running away.

"Pop it, pop it! Why am I afraid of beach balls?!" Leo exclaims as he pops it, but it turns into multiple beach balls. Amy fires her launcher.

"They're multiplying exponentially!" Raph grits his teeth in fear, shaking. They all run away as Shelldon flies above.

"Bros, we've gotta get out of here. Follow my honest face to safety!" He leads them to the machine Donnie used and they run inside. The door slams shut and Donnie pulls the lever, everything starting up again. Their levels only slightly decrease.

"Ah, it's not working. They're still too smart! I need more power! Mia, what about your powers?" Donnie says as she runs in.

"But we don't know what that could do to them! We need a-a power source that won't hurt them," Amy looks at her hands nervously. She did not want to risk their lives if she uses her powers on the machine. Donnie looks at the only thing he could think of.

"Alas, what irony. I must use the supreme power of the Dragon's Tooth to return my brothers to their blissful ignorance." He grabs it and Amy watches as he inserts it, crossing her fingers. "Come on, come on, come on!"

Suddenly, everything goes back to normal and they look at the three, who look like zombies. They cringe, the Dragon's Tooth power all used up. Raph picks it up and stares at it. "Ten bucks if I shove up this up my nose, huh?"

"It worked," Donnie sighs in relief. "I'll give you twenty, brother."

"Leo!" Amy lunges forward and hugs him. Leo looks at her in surprise before a big smile comes to his face, hugging her back.

"Why'd you let Donnie do a test on you?" She looks up at him, frowning. "You don't need it."

"Remember Jeremy?" Is all he asks and she raises a brow. "What'd you think of him?"

"You mean that Purple Dragon nerd who was trying to hack into every computer? He was acting kind of off. His hair is kinda cool, though. I don't have much to say. Why do you ask?"

He rubs his neck. "He had a crush on you, so I thought-"

"Oh, ew!" Amy looks disgusted as she scrunches up her nose. "That guy had a crush on me? Doesn't he know I'm out of his league? Gross." Though it did make sense on why he was acting weird with her before.

"Oh thank goodness," Leo sighs in relief at her reaction, meaning she didn't know. "Wait, so you don't like smart bad boys?"

"What?" She's confused by what that means before shaking her head. "Never mind. Intelligence doesn't matter to me," She shrugs at him, Donnie slowly tiptoeing away before he could get in trouble. "How did you know he liked me, anyway?"

"Donnie told me."

Donnie stops in his tracks as Amy looks pissed. " **WHAAAAAT?!** " She whips around to him, enraged. "Donnie! You told him Jeremy had a crush on me?!"

"I thought it was obvious!" Donnie defends, eyes widening as the girl stands up. He runs off, but she tackles him to the ground. "Ow! You said you wouldn't get mad!"

"That was before I found out you told him!"

Leo, Mikey, and Raph all smile as they hear the punches. Donnie and Amy may not be best friends, but they are similar in many ways. Yes, Donnie's more of a 'do things, accept responsibility never' person while Amy is a 'be less open, and also practical' girl. She's more responsible, and trusts people as far as she can throw them, but she can be nice at times. Donnie is reckless, and self-absorbed, but both of them care about their peers.

"You know, you two are almost the same. Like twins," Mikey comments, both Donnie and Amy standing up.

"We are not!" Amy huffs, crossing her arms and turning away.

"We are totally not! I'm better." Donnie turns away too.

"And unlike him, I have morals."

The three just grin at them. "I'm just glad that you guys are back," Amy smiles happily. Leo notices something and picks it up: The photos of her finished shop.

"Whoa, your place is finished already? Does that mean you're going back?" He sags sadly and Amy stares at him. She smiles and shakes her head.

"No. I think I'll stay for just a little longer."

The turtles cheer, engulfing her into a group hug. She normally doesn't hug, but she didn't care this time.


	27. Nothing But Truffle

**Angel: There's no episode for this Saturday, so there will be no update this week. But I am excited for the next one Portal Jacked! I've been waiting for a Leo episode for a while now.**

In Long Island, a car passes by on the highway, an eagle flying off the sign. It flies above Meat Sweats, who's cooking in the middle of the forest. He hums to himself as he brought his truck here and transformed it into his cooking station. He seems to be making pork chops, throwing some herbs onto them.

"There he is, Todd and Amy," Mikey looks through binoculars. "The brilliant chef and my personal hero, Rupert Swaggert."

The brunette rolls her eyes. This time, Amy is wearing an elbow length jacket with a pink tube top underneath it. Her skirt is tulle and white with green buttons trailing down the center. Her boots are pink as they go up to her ankles. Her hair is partially down, with one bun attached to each side above her ears.

She only came here with them because she knows that Mikey will get in trouble. Either that, or he won't realize he's in trouble. Mikey was like a little brother to her already, so she had a sense to protect him. He's probably the only turtle she actually _liked_ besides Leo...and sometimes Donnie and Raph.

Just the thought of him makes her want to facepalm. While he can be an _idiot_ sometimes, he can be very sweet and loyal...not that she's asking him to change. After the whole 'Donnie made his brothers intelligent' thing, she never wanted Leo to change ever again. There has been a few times that Leo had wanted to change for her, but she doesn't need him to do that. She doesn't show it, but she actually likes his jokes...whenever she was down, he'd tell her one and then she'd laugh, forgetting all about why she was upset.

And...he was starting to grow on her. She likes being carefree like him, and she likes hanging out with him...

Of course, whenever she was ready, she'd have to tell him her feelings. She grunts to herself. Accepting them was easy. It was trying to deal with them that was hard.

Mikey is resting on Todd's hair as Chewbacon is on Amy's lap, snorting quietly. Todd peeks through the brick.

"All I see is that scary Meat Sweats dude," He remembers his name from when he was hanging out with the Evil League of Mutants. He wasn't fond of Meat Sweats.

Mikey hangs upside down. "Yeah, he's an evil mutant now, but back in the day, he was master of the spice!" He leans in closer with a big smile. "Isn't that right, Amy?"

"Yes, but the guy tried to cook Donnie and he almost got me run over, so I don't really care for him anymore. Not like you do," Amy frowns to herself, crossing her arms. She respected him back when he was a chef, but his actions speak otherwise. Chewbacon snorts angrily at the bigger pig, insulted that they're the same animal.

"Well, I guess being mutated can turn anybody nasty," Todd chuckles nervously.

"Oh, he was always a jerk, but what a chef!" Mikey clasps his hands together. "Some say he _invented_ flavor."

"Not everyone is bad when mutated," Amy holds up a finger. "There's you guys and Bullhop."

"Ah ha, sounds like you're liking mutants now," Mikey smiles widely at her.

"I don't hate them, but some of them just don't annoy me as much...that, and some of them aren't psychotic like Draxum," She huffs at the memory of him telling her why he killed her family.

"Forest truffle pork chops," Meat Sweats speaks up, regaining Mikey's attention. He takes a bite for a taste. "The delicious irony."

"...Wait, isn't he technically cooking himself? Gross," Amy covers her mouth in horror. He's so evil, he'll commit cannibalism!

"Omigosh!" Mikey sits back up on Todd, looking at the mutant. "He's making his signature dish. Todd! What did we say about not moving?"

Todd tries to keep his balance, Amy moving over to help him. "Sorry friend. I was just trying to feel my neck again."

Amy rolls her eyes at Mikey, holding up Chewbacon again so he can peek through his own binoculars. "I never could get my truffle pork chops to taste as good as his. There must be a secret ingredient..."

"Just don't get too close. He can smell us, you know," Amy whispers to him and he gives her a thumbs up.

Meat Sweats looks around to make sure that no one is watching him. "And now for my secret ingredient." He holds up a silver rocket. "The shadow moon truffle..." He starts mincing it into pieces, Mikey gasping.

"He uses mystic ingredients?"

"That's a thing?" Amy wonders in confusion. She only uses regular ingredients while cooking. She never thought that mystic ingredients even existed.

"Wait, what's a shadow moon truffle?" Todd asks as he's never heard of it.

"A super rare mystic truffle that only grows when Jupiter eclipses the full moon. Maybe we could just grab a slice," Mikey rubs his chin.

"Wait, we're gonna steal from Meat Sweats?!" Amy whispers in surprise.

"We got this," Mikey brags, holding onto Todd's hair. "Follow my thoughts, baby."

"Ah," She groans in annoyance at him not listening, facepalming. If she tries to protest even more, he'd do it anyway. "Chewie, you stay here," Amy pats him on the head and he snorts, licking her cheek. She giggles and she follows the two as they sneak past some trees.

"You think I can ride on your shoulders for a while?" Todd asks hopefully. He never gets to be the periscope unlike Mikey. He wanted to see what it was like...

"I think we both know that I'm a natural periscope," Mikey gestures to himself. "Now schlep me over to that trick so I can watch my hero work!"

Amy rubs a temple, shaking her head. God, hearing him saying it twice was already annoying her.

Meat Sweats hums as he sprinkles some shadow moon truffle onto the pork chops. Todd zips right past him as Amy hides behind the truck.

"All I need is one...slice of that truffle," Mikey reaches his hand out and is about to get it when Todd trips and falls forward, causing the truck to tilt. The truffle flies into the air and is caught by an eagle flying past.

"Me truffle!" Meat Sweats shouts in horror, seeing Todd, Amy, and Mikey. "One of those naughty turtles and their friend, I see...You'll pay for this, you tasty snoops!"

"Ew," Amy sticks out her tongue in disgust at the...compliment or whatever that was supposed to be.

"Don't blame the turtle! It was the woodchuck!" Mikey accuses, pointing to Todd.

"Mikey!" Amy shouts at him. "You're the one who bumped into the truck!"

"Nu uh!"

"Uh, I'm not a woodchu-"

"You turtles! You've been a roach leg in me sorbet since the day I met you!" Meat Shouts yells in anger. "But it's alright. I'll make up for it with a little taste of you," He makes one of his arms into tendrils, causing the trio to scream. They run away, Amy grabbing Chewbacon as he was looking in a bush. Meat Sweats slides to a stop as they're now hiding from him. He walks right past the four, Mikey hiding his head in Todd's hair. He's holding up tree branches along with Todd to mimic a tree. Chewbacon hides naturally due to the hair underneath his chin and on his face, looking like a bush. Amy hides in the bushes.

Mikey sighs in relief when Meat Sweats is gone, but he scares them all from behind and they run to a brick wall, cornered.

"Where are you going, lads? I was just about to unleash the flavor~!" He thrusts his tendrils towards Chewbacon and Mikey.

Todd jumps right in front of them. "My friends...!"

"Toooooodd!" Mikey shouts with tears in his eyes. Tears fall down from Todd's eyes too as Amy has her mouth open in shock. Todd gets captured in Meat Sweats' grasp.

"Give me your powerrrr!"

"Omigod, Todd!" Mikey says in alarm.

"Let him go!" Amy demands, wishing she had her weapon. Dang it, the one time she leaves it behind! Mikey told her that they were just going to watch him!

"Nothing like having my whole beak...sucked out...for friends," He looks at them as Meat Sweats starts absorbing him.

"Yes, I-I feel..." The three stare at him in shock, wondering what he was going to do to them once he was done. "I feel...splendiferous! Hello maties. What you doing out here in the cold? Why don't you come inside and I'll make you a nice cuppa?"

Mikey and Amy stare at him, twitching in shock as he drops Todd. "I'll catch up with you guys later," Todd drops his arm weakly. One of his eyes twitch, snapping out of it.

"Why are you being so nice?" Mikey asks suspiciously.

"Not only is it weird, it's disgusting," Amy murmurs to him. Meat Sweats is never nice; he's the opposite of it. Mikey gasps in realization.

"That's right!" He slides over to Todd. "You sucked Todd's superpower: niceness!"

"Oh my god, that's right," Amy places a hand on her cheek. "Todd doesn't have any natural powers like the other mutants did..."

"I just don't know what you mean," Meat Sweats replies, "But I do know that I'd love to have you sample me forest truffle pork chops. Wait a minute, where's me truffle?" He doesn't seem to remember that the eagle took it. "I need to finish this dish. I've got company."

"Um, unfortunately, Todd knocked it into the air," Mikey pats Todd's cheek, Amy frowning at him in disapproval. "There was a bird situation. What matters is how Todd lost it."

"Mikey, you and I both know that's not-"

Mikey covers Amy's mouth before she can say anything. Chewbacon rolls his eyes at Mikey's lack of responsibility.

"Do you know what this means?!" Mikey looks up at an angry Meat Sweats and it looks like he's his normal self again. Mikey quivers and Amy decides to do nothing since Mikey is digging his own grave. If he wasn't going to take responsibility for what he did, then there's no reason to help him. "We'll have to go and get a new one. Tonight, chums."

"We...?" Mikey's eyes sparkle at the thought of hanging out with his cooking idol. "Us? Tonight?!"

"Has to be tonight," Meat Sweats smiles, throwing an arm around Mikey. "There's a shadow moon, don't you know? But first, pallerino," he pokes Mikey's nose. "You ever had funnel cake down by the boardwalk?"

"No, I haven't. Amy doesn't take me there," Mikey pouts at Amy.

"And I still won't. Mikey, can I talk to you?" She leads him away, glancing at Meat Sweats. "You know what happens after a few hours, right?"

"Uh...no."

Amy silently rolls her eyes. "The niceness is gonna wear off and Meat Sweats isn't gonna give you a warm welcome," She points a finger at his plastron. "What are you gonna do if he tries to cook you, hm? And what about Todd? Shouldn't you check over him? Like a _good_ friend should do?"

"It'll be fine," Mikey waves it off.

"Let's go, then!" Meat Sweats grabs their hands, about to lead them off. "What about your friend, down there in the puddle?"

Mikey glances at Todd, turning him over with a stick. "Ow."

"He'll be fine," He smiles it off, Amy sighing as she drags a hand down her face.

"Chewbacon, you watch over Todd and get him whatever he needs," Amy orders, her pet pig saluting like a soldier.

"Thank you..." Todd says weakly.

"FUNNEL CAAAAAAAKE!" Mikey and Meat Sweats cheer together, Amy holding her head.

"Oh MY GOD, THEY'RE MULTIPLYING!" She screams in horror at not just one, but now two Mikeys.

* * *

Meat Sweats wipes his cheek and then Mikey's, both of the laughing together at the boardwalk. Amy shakes her head at them, annoyed. She only came because if she leaves Mikey with Meat Sweats, his brothers would never let her live it down...or at least, Raph.

Later, Mikey plays the mandolin as he, Meat Sweats, and Amy are in a boat together named 'Yeah Baby.' Some people stare, Amy attempting to hide her face.

Then they make hot dogs together, putting mustard and ketchup on three of them criss cross. The two look up at each other, dousing each other in the condiments. Some of it gets on Amy, who looks at them blankly, wiping her cheek off.

Meat Sweats presents a silver metal necklace that looks like his mallet with 'BFF' on it. "Aww," Mikey says happily and when Meat Sweats puts it on him, he falls. "Yeah!" Mikey gives a weak thumbs up. He attempts to hold the heavy necklace as he and Meat Sweats take a selfie together.

"Say brie!"

* * *

Mikey looks at the selfie fondly as it's nighttime. "Man, hanging out with my hero is a dream come true! You taking what's his name's niceness was the best thing that ever happened to me!"

"More like the worst," Amy murmurs, putting a hand to her forehead. It's been hours and Meat Sweats has shown no signs that he's back to normal. Despite that, she knows that the real him is in there somewhere...waiting to strike.

Meat Sweats gasps, hitting Mikey's shoulder as he points to the sky. "The shadow moon! Up to the swamp we go, friend of friends!"

"Yes!" They fist bump, Amy gagging.

* * *

A frog lands on a rock in front of some grass, hopping away once Mikey looks through the grass behind him. "So how do we spot the truffle?"

"It will release a beautiful cloud of shimmering spores into the night sky. But don't breathe them. They'll burn your nostrils and fuse your lungs into your heart."

Amy twitches an eye in fear at his explanation, backing away a bit. Okay, that definitely sounded like Meat Sweats.

"But the truffle is delicious."

She narrows her eyes at the 'miss-up.' That was no mistake, it sounded like the old him. Whether he's back to normal or not, she had to be careful around him...

"Oh snap!" Mikey points up ahead. "There it is!" The spores are flying towards a tree, Amy opening her mouth in awe. She's never seen anything like it before...

"The swamp poses many challenges," Meat Sweats looks at the mud and spikes up ahead. "But nothing me and my besties can't conquer together. Yeah?"

"Holla!" Mikey cheers, Amy grunting.

"Let's get one thing clear. I'm not your 'bestie,' Meat Sweats," She crosses her arms.

"You be nice to him! You're just jealous of our new friendship!" Mikey says with a huff.

"Right, jealous, sure," Amy answers sarcastically, leaning in to whisper. "Mikey, this is crazy! Are we really gonna get this ingredient with Meat Sweats around? I don't like this. What if he's back to normal right now and he's just acting?"

The two look back to him and the pig waves with a big smile. Amy narrows her eyes at him suspiciously.

"He's fine," Mikey waves it off. "Don't worry, Amy, we're still friends."

"That's not the point," Amy gives him a blank look at how he's not listening. "How about we leave Bacon behind and we can come back with Todd instead?"

"But then I'll never get the truffle!" He complains at her.

"There will be other shadow moons. He's done it before," Amy jerks a thumb at Meat Sweats.

"No! We'll go on and you'll see that he's still nice!" Mikey protests, patting Meat Sweats' shoulder. "I got this, buddy of mine." He jumps across, acting as a bridge to walk across the gap in front of them. Meat Sweats puts a hand on Amy's shoulder and she slaps it off.

"Don't trust me? Well, I'll just carry you across, then!" He puts Amy over his shoulder.

"Hey, let go of me!" She wiggles around, trying to get off, but he jumps on top of Mikey, hopping up and down on the turtle like a trampoline. Mikey just laughs, giving a thumbs up. Meat Sweats puts her down and she dusts herself off, glaring at him. "What was that? You could've just hurt Mikey!"

"I'm fine..." Mikey says weakly.

"My bestie doesn't mind it!" Meat Sweats just smiles, walking past Amy. She narrows her eyes, crossing her arms.

* * *

Next is the field of spiky vines. "That shell of yours, that'll get us through these vines, mon ami," Meat Sweats places his hand on Mikey's shoulder.

"Hold on, won't that hurt him?" Amy immediately protests.

"I got it, Bubba! There's nothing to worry about, Amy," He lets Meat Sweats hold him and the spikes from the vines hit his shell. "Ow. Ow, there's so much that this shell does not cover..."

"We'll get through this together."

"Oh yeah? Then why isn't there a single spike on you?" Amy demands and he just grins.

"Well, we are friends. Friends do everything for each other."

"I wouldn't ask Mikey to endure that kind of pain," Amy crosses her arms. "I'd do it."

"Aww, thanks, Amy! You're back on my good list! I was about to kick you out!" Mikey exclaims happily, the girl rolling her eyes.

"Gee, thanks."

* * *

He lands in front of the mud pool, which is boiling for some reason...not a good sign. "Oh no," He frowns at it, standing up. "You can handle mud, you're a pig."

"Right, and since I'm a natural periscope, I should navigate," Meat Sweats offers and Amy realizes that he's treating Mikey like how the turtle treated Todd...

Mikey walks through the mud, Amy sitting on Meat Sweats' shoulder. Mikey sinks into the mud, but he gets back up, giving a thumbs up to his two friends. Amy frowns in concern as Meat Sweats returns the gesture. He drops to the ground, finally, covered in mud in exhaustion. Meat Sweats wipes off his foot, Amy fuming as she clenches her fists. She wasn't sure how much longer she could tolerate Meat Sweats. He was being a jerk and she hated the fact that she can't punch him or anything. Mikey would possibly hate her and she didn't need any awkwardness when they got back to the lair.

"Are you okay?" Amy bends down to the turtle and he nods his head slowly, resting his head on her lap tiredly. She frowns at his state. Luckily that was the last obstacle.

"There it is," Meat Sweats points up ahead.

"The shadow moon truffle!" Mikey says in relief. "It's beautiful."

"Huh...the evil mutant pig has good taste," Amy murmurs to herself.

"It sure is. And you know what would make this day perfect? If my best mate would pluck it himself."

Mikey shakes the mud off onto Amy, gasping in awe. Amy groans at her dirty clothes and hair. "Best mate?! Say it again! No, say it when I get the truffle."

Meat Sweats grins evilly, but Amy puts a hand on Mikey's shoulder. "Wait, what if something happens? Mr. Sunshine over here knows this area. How do we know it's not a trap?"

"It's not. He called me my best mate, Amy! Best mate!" Mikey grabs her by the shoulders, shaking her slightly. She facepalms at his enthusiasm.

"I heard it the first time! Ay dios mio," She mutters the last sentence to herself at how bad this is. "Look, you don't need to do it yourself. Can't you see what you're doing? He's treating you the same way you treated Todd. The periscope thing, the bridge, the mud. Don't you think you understand how bad of a friend you were to him? Let Meat Sweats handle this himself and let's ditch him."

"No no," Meat Sweats waves a hand. "I insist."

"And I will follow!"

"Mikey, no!" Amy shouts as he climbs up the tree. Mikey reaches out to get it, but his foot slips and the shadow moon shines on the tree. It suddenly comes to life as it transforms into a Were-Tree to Amy's shock. "What was that?"

"M-Mikey, turn around," Amy tells him and he does, seeing the angry face of the tree.

"Angry tree..." He reaches out his branches to Mikey.

"What are you?" Mikey gets grabbed by the tree.

"Mikey!" Amy calls out, Meat Sweats snickering. She gasps as she hears it, whipping around to him.

"Chef Swaggert, what's happening?" Mikey asks as the tree is swinging him around.

"Must protect truffle."

Meat Sweats laughs evilly. "Oh, I'm sorry, matey. There's one thing I forgot to mention. The truffle is protected by a mystical Were-Tree, like your friend suspected. You know, full moon and all. But thanks for being the distraction."

Amy gasps in shock. "I knew it! You jerk!"

The Were-Tree pins Mikey to the ground as he looks up sadly. "But...I thought you were nice now!" Tears run down his cheek.

"Oh, that wore off hours ago. And by the way, you play a lousy mandolin," He flicks Mikey on the head.

"W-w-what?" Mikey asks so sadly it made Amy almost want to cry. "You said it sounded like a choir of angels dipped in honey!"

"Well, things look a little different once the toddler gloves come off, doesn't it?" Meat Sweats says to a crying Mikey. He's dragged away and he stands up. "Now, I'll be taking that truffle." He sees that it's gone from where it landed. "Wait, where is it?!"

"Is this what you're looking for?" Todd holds up the truffle next to an angry Amy, laughing.

"Todd! How did you know I was in trouble?" Mikey asks in relief.

"My squirrel friends told my bird friends to tell my puppy friends to tell me. But Chewbacon used his nose to locate you here and helped me get across here."

"Good piggie," Amy pats her pig on the head and he waves his tail happily at her praise. "Wait, you can speak dog?" She turns to Todd in surprise.

"Paprika!" Meat Sweats tries to punch the two, but they dodge all of them. "Hold still, you twitchy little things!"

"You're no match for us!" Todd exclaims, dodging another punch. "I'm a master of Passive Fu! It's where I take your energy," He ducks his head from another punch. "And do nothing with it." He laughs at his advantage.

"And I've had training. I may be not be totally experienced, but you can't touch me!"

"Todd, get his glove!" Mikey calls out, trying to get the Were-Tree to let go. The two dodge another punch, Todd quickly grabbing his glove as he spins around, showing his tendrils. Mikey captures the right arm with his whip and Amy jumps up.

"This is for playing with Mikey's feelings!" Amy kicks Meat Sweats, but his tendrils touch the tree. "Uh oh."

"I don't feel...so good," The Were-Tree says weakly as his power is being absorbed.

"Whoa!" Mikey is let go and he lands near Todd and Amy.

"Great thinking, friend. Now we can-Uh oh," They see what has happened. Meat Sweats transforms into a tree version of himself, having merged with the tree. He is now at least 40 feet tall as he's partially made of wood, his underwear made of leaves. Half his face is a trunk with his left eye being blue.

"Time for a little midnight snack!" He grins down at them.

"Todd, you're a woodchuck," Mikey pushes the capybara forward. "Chuck him!"

"Okay, you keep saying I'm a woodchuck, I'm a capybara!" Todd corrects him.

"He doesn't even have the tail of a woodchuck..." Amy murmurs, looking at Mikey.

"No, I'm pretty sure you're a woodchuck," Mikey points to him.

"Capybaras are larger than woodchucks, first off. And second, can we not have this conversation in front of a colossal tree Meat Sweats?!" Amy exclaims at him.

"The girl is right. You can continue this bickering in my guttie wutties!" Meat Sweats raises an arm.

"Rule number three of Passive Fu," Todd puts Mikey on his hair and takes off running. "The bigger they are, the faster you flee!"

"I'll gladly abide by that rule!" Amy runs after them as Meat Sweats tries to hit them with his tree arms.

"Buddy, Todd, I'm really sorry I treated you so badly and ditched you for this psychopathic lunatic!" Mikey calls out. "And I'm sorry I didn't listen to you, Amy! You were right!"

"If you and your brothers are going to keep saying I was right, I'll take it!" Amy replies back as she's holding Chewbacon tightly.

"You ditched me?" Todd asks in surprise. "I thought you were kidnapped!" Meat Sweats slams down his arm, emitting dust. He does it again right behind them and they fall into the bushes with a scream.

"I'll take me truffle now and use it to cook me some scaredy cat stew!" He moves past the bush, but the four aren't hiding there. "Where are you?" He tries sniffing for them as they're behind a tree. Amy peeks back at him.

"What do we do now?" She murmurs to herself in thought. If they make a run for it, he'll notice. And they couldn't make a sound, he'd hear it and catch them.

"Oh man! What would Raph do?"

"Raph? Him?" Amy snorts at Mikey quietly. "He may be the leader and the oldest, but sometimes he's a meathead."

"True, he can be impulsive," Mikey agrees with her, "But his plans usually work...once he comes up with one."

He thinks about what Raph would do. _"Shark attack, punch it in the nose. Vampire, garlic. Werewolf, silver. A puppet, just curl up in a ball, buddy. You're going down."_

"Thanks, Mind Raph," Mikey pushes his thoughts away, literally.

"Mikey, Amy, where are we going to get something silver?" Todd asks them.

"You heard that?" Mikey asks in confusion.

"Uh, yeah no kidding. Even in thoughts, his plans are useless," Amy facepalms. "Garlic and silver against vampires and werewolves don't work because they don't exist."

"Omigosh. My BFF mallet. It's pure silver, baby! And I'd be happy to return it," Mikey holds up the silver mallet.

"Man, we are so dead," Amy murmurs to herself, but they had no choice but to try. They peek over the bush to see Meat Sweats still looking for them. He turns around slowly and they notice a hole in his chest.

"Alright, gotta get him right in the hollow."

"Okay, get on my shoulders," Todd offers to Mikey.

"No Todd. This time, you're the periscope," Mikey smiles at the capybara, winking at Amy. She smiles at the fact that he's changed. Todd sniffles, a few tears escaping his eyes in happiness.

"Really? I'm finally the periscope?"

"Hey Tree Sweats," Mikey calls out, Todd on his shoulders. "You are officially unfriended!" Todd throws the mallet, hitting the hollow. Tree Sweats grunts in pain.

"Right in me knothole." Electricity comes from him, causing the mutant to transform back to his regular self. The mallet hits him on the head and he falls down unconscious. "Oh, shadows."

"Yes!" Mikey and Todd cheer.

"What?!" Amy exclaims in shock. "No way! I don't believe that."

"You better believe it, baby!" Mikey points to her.

"Nope. No way. I stand by my beliefs," Amy crosses her arms. "It wasn't a real werewolf, so there." She'd just forget that this happened, which is what she'd rather do anyway. She walks back to Meat Sweats and kicks him in the stomach. "That one was for me."

"Couldn't have done it without you, buddies," Mikey smiles at her and Todd. "Hey, still got that truffle?"

* * *

They go back to Todd's place to make the shadow moon pork chops. Chewbacon plays with the puppies as Mikey presents them to his friends.

"Here we go. Three best friend specials."

"Mm, forest truffle pork chops," Todd sniffs it happily. "Oh, they smell divine."

"Luckily Chewbacon isn't here to see me eat this," Amy looks down at it. Mikey is about to dig into his when the puppies eat it.

"Huh? Oh well. Can I have part of yours, best friend?"

Todd stuffs himself, looking at Mikey with feral eyes. He slides them into his mouth, signaling that he won't share.

"Uh, ha ha. Oh Todd." He laughs, but then drops it when Todd eats the whole thing. "Amy? How about you?"

"Well-"

Before she can share with him, Chewbacon tugs on her sleeve. She looks at him and then gets a slap across the face. Chewbacon kicks the pork chop to the ground, pointing to it demandingly to the puppies. They eat Amy's pork chop too.

"...No," Amy says nervously, Chewbacon turning away from her. "I can't eat pork chops in front of him..." She bends down to him. "Come on, Chewbacon. I wasn't really gonna eat it. If anything, I would've given it to Leo or Raph."

"What?!" Mikey asks upsettingly, but Amy ignores him.

"Come on..." Amy picks up her pet pig, hugging him. "I'll make your favorite."

He huffs, turning away and Amy sighs in defeat. "I'll let you throw a pie in Leo's face tonight. Only one."

He perks up and turns around, licking Amy's face. She laughs at his affection. "I'll forgive you for the slap...but if you do that again, no more apples."

He nods in slight fear and she smirks. Chewbacon wasn't the boss in this pet-owner relationship. She lets him do whatever he wants, the least he could do is listen to her.

"How old is he?" Mikey wonders and she thinks to herself.

"Well, he's well cared for, so his breed would live for 15 to 20 years. He's a nine-year-old Vietnamese pot-belly. Marco and my mother pitched in to get him for me on my 5th birthday and I've had him since," Amy smiles, hugging the pig as they snuggle each other. Todd and Mikey smile at their bond.


	28. Shadow of Evil

**Angel: Regarding Batman vs. TMNT, I know the movie is coming out in May on DVD, but I probably won't buy it...need to save money for other family matters like my birthday, I already spent money for my mom's cake for her own birthday. Besides, I highly doubt they'll release it online anytime soon. And I knew someone was gonna ask me about that eventually. Would I do it?**

 **...Not really. That concept has existed for years now, you know, in a comic? It's not something new for both franchises, it's been done before. I respect Batman and the franchise (Harley Quinn and Catwoman are my favorite characters in the Injustice games), and I'm glad that they're crossing over in an animated film, but just because I like both doesn't mean I absolutely** _ **have**_ **to write it. Why does that question keep biting back at me? I've said it before, I don't have to write something I've never done if I like it. That's not why I write, at all! So sick of hearing it. Why even ask me that if it was from a comic years ago?**

 **Anyway, mini rant over. Oh, and one more thing: Stop asking about Ann and Lily! I'm tired of being asked! All I can say about them is that they'll probably appear in season 2. If people are going to continue to ask me when I've already addressed this topic before, here's your answer: Season 2.**

 **I'm aware that Operation: Normal has supposedly aired on Nicktoons, but I don't have that channel, so I'll have to wait until it airs on Nick or until someone gives me a link. I don't even know if it did air or not, because there's still no plot listed for the episode, so I have my doubts.**

Amy slips out of her temporary room. She's wearing a spy outfit, with a black sweater and black pants. Black gloves cover her hands as she wears black boots. A black cap is over her hair, which is out of her ponytail. Her bang sticks out, touching her right cheek. Also on her cheeks is black paint underneath her eyes. She glances around the lair, making sure no one can see her before she jumps, landing near the skate park. She dusts herself off and runs off, holding a bag over her shoulder.

The turtles watch her leave, munching on pizza. There was only one reason why she'd go out dressed like that...

* * *

Amy peeks behind an awning looking over the Middle Park Zoo, glaring at the sight of Baron Draxum. This was something she had to do alone. Her friends wouldn't understand, they had no idea what it was like wanting to get rid of a psycho who ruined your life. Draxum had to be stopped before he ruined someone else's life like Lou Jitsu. And by taking him out, she was doing herself a favor. It was his fault her life was so messed up...

Four shadows sneak past the bushes and trees, one of them looking over a rhino, warthog, and two humans, one of which has a purple mohawk.

"What?!" The second one pulls him backwards.

"Not good. Draxum's back to kidnapping humans and animals!"

She digs through her bag, smirking at the deadly laser gun. Amy peeks above the awning, preparing to fire. She locks onto her target, her finger on the trigger.

"Say goodbye, Baron...this is sweet justice." She was doing what no one else could; making sure that Baron doesn't get to live. She didn't care if her friends would think of it as wrong, this was something she needed to do on her own. Her mother deserved to have the man who caused her to be ill to be punished. Five years Amy has dealt with loneliness, despair, and too many people telling her that it was hopeless. And now it was gonna end...she can finally have a normal life now.

"Well well well," Her eyes widen as she whips around to the turtles. Leo steps up, hands on his hips. "What do we have here?"

"What are you guys _doing_ here?!" She hisses at them as they join her side.

"Backing you up," Raph answers like it was obvious.

"No way. I didn't ask for your help," She turns back to Draxum. "Besides, this isn't your fight. You have no idea how much I want him to suffer."

"Uh, yes, we do," Donnie chimes in, holding up a finger. "He basically killed your family and made your mother si-" He stops talking when Amy gives him a glare telling him to shut up.

"We don't care," Leo whispers to her. "We're helping."

"You need us, baby!" Mikey wraps an arm around her shoulder.

"More like the other way around," Amy rolls her eyes silently.

"Ames," Leo puts a gentle hand on her back. "Let us help you. You and I both know that you can't do this alone...and that you shouldn't have to."

"For someone so sensible, you should be following your own advice," Donnie speaks up. "You said so yourself: Friends help each other out."

"Yeah, and he deserves to pay for what he did to you," Raph narrows his eyes.

Amy sighs slowly, dragging a hand down her face. It was to really wipe the incoming tears from her eyes, but luckily, they didn't see them. It wouldn't be bad to have help...and it was nice to know that they stood by her.

"...Why do you guys have to be so stubborn?" She asks reluctantly.

"We're stubborn as you are beautiful," Leo winks at her and her face turns red. Did he just say what she thinks he just said?

"Aww," Mikey clasps his hands. "That's sweet!"

"Whatever," She turns around so that they wouldn't tease her for her face. No one's ever called her that before...it was nice. It was from Leo, but still nice nonetheless.

Donnie puts his goggles over his face as they see Draxum standing on a rock. "Oozesquito!" Mikey exclaims as one single bug is flying around the warrior scientist. Donnie looks back to the captured humans and animals. "If Draxum uses his bug to mutate the rhino and warthog, we'll be outmatched!"

"No!" Leo and Raph exclaim.

"So then we just take him out before he can," Amy rolls her eyes. "Geez."

"Huh," Donnie notices Huggin and Muninn trying to snatch a glowing metal. "What? Mystic metal? That is a first."

The Oozesquito flies up to Draxum, who frowns in disdain. He swats it to the ground, to their confusion and shock.

"Oh no."

"Whoa."

"What the?! He just swatted away an Oozesquito," Leo points his odachi at him.

"Allow me to distract him with my multidimensional reflective form neutralizer!" Donnie offers, the end of his staff turning into a disco ball. Amy facepalms at this.

"Uh, it's a disco ball," Leo deadpans, Mikey shaking his head slowly. Raph pushes past all of them.

"He's just trying to throw us off," Raph waves it off and Amy huffs in frustration.

"Let me concentrate on the shot!" She points the laser gun back at the sheep man.

"But we ain't getting thrown," Raph ignores her and jumps down, Amy sighing slowly. Maybe after they beat him, then she can get rid of him. "Stop right there, sheep creep."

Baron Draxum slowly turns his head. "Well, if it isn't my loser creations...ah, and my recruit. Come to finally join me, Amelia? I wish I was the one behind the bombing, but your friend Brit Worley beat me to it."

Her eyes twitch at his taunt, fuming. "...What?"

"We are sick of your whole mutating human-dealio," Leo tells Draxum, but his minions throw the metal over to their master. "We are kicking you out of-" Before they can do anything, Draxum opens a portal in front of him, walking through it. "New York..."

"Did that really just happen?" Amy murmurs to herself. She should've known it all along...of course he was the only one that would blow it up, he hates her. Her fists turn white as she seethes with anger. The next time she sees him, she was gonna make him regret planting that bomb.

"W-We did it," Leo stammers nervously.

"Well," Donnie holds up his staff, "Clearly the sight of my disco ball scared him off. You are welcome, and you are welcome, and you are also welcome."

"That's not what happened," Amy snatches Donnie's staff as she puts the laser gun back in her bag. "He left right after he got that mystic metal."

"What is that psycho up to?" Mikey rubs his chin in thought.

"Well, the metal he grabbed was mystic, so-"

"If we find more glowy metal, that's where we'll find Draxum!" Raph finishes Donnie's sentence. "Yes!"

"Yeah!" The other turtles cheer.

"Assuming he hasn't scurried off when he sees my terrifying disco tech!" Donnie exclaims, Amy rolling her eyes.

"Give it a rest, Donnie." She summons her bike and puts her things inside.

"Are you okay?" Leo asks her gently.

"I will be once Brit knows the meaning of pain," She jumps on and the other turtles follow. She drives out of the zoo, none of them noticing a pigeon flying down to the oozesquito. It taps its beak against the ooze-filled bottom and its eyes glow green...

* * *

"Life for me is perfect," Splinter sings as he shimmies his hips. "Eat whatever I want," He kicks the air as he's heading towards his favorite spot: his armchair. "Dance around in my robe. Time to lose the robe~"

As he's about to remove it, he hears laughing. He turns around to April, who is wearing a red and yellow long-sleeved shirt under a black shirt that has a symbol, and red pants.

"Check you out, Splints," She smiles at him.

"April!" His back suddenly breaks. "My back!"

She sits up as he's hunched over. "Oh. You okay?"

"Youch, there goes my back," He sings in pain. "Just a conga mishap. This should fix it right up," He straightens his back, spinning around and landing on his stomach. He sighs in relief and April pats him on the head, laughing. He grits his teeth in annoyance...

And then he sees the symbol on her shirt...

The Foot symbol.

He gasps in horror at the sight of it, getting flashbacks of the Foot and a demon. He recoils back in shock, causing her to be confused. It was like he's seen a ghost.

"That is a curious symbol," He says suspiciously as he eyes her.

"The logo for the shoe store I work at?" She points to her shirt. "The Foot Shack?"

"The Foot Shack?" He questions, knowing that only the Foot would use that name...but was it really them? It is their symbol...but it could just a coincidence. He glances away, normally he wouldn't do this, but... "Maybe I should stop by. I...do love, uh, kickies!"

"You mean kicks?" She asks in confusion. "Shoes?"

"Kids these days, they call them kickies," Splinter holds up a finger. He didn't want her to be suspicious of his true intentions at the Foot Shack. "I will come down today. My, uh, pump sandals, uh, lost their pump." He takes off his own shoes, pointing to them.

"No ho way," April waves her hands. "You are not bugging me at my new job looking like...this whole situation," She gestures to his body. "Nu uh, bad idea," She waves a finger, walking away. Not only could he potentially get caught, but people might know that she knows him. She wouldn't be able to get another job if word got around that she knows mutants.

Splinter grunts as he watches her leave, narrowing his eyes. "I will show _her_ a bad idea." He holds up a razor. "I will blend right in at April's store," He shaves off some arm and leg hair, putting on a disguise. "I look good." He has on blue jeans, a green tie dye shirt, and a pink hat. "Clothes of a teen, body of a Greek god," He rubs his belly.

He starts climbing up the ladder, something that he hasn't done in a long time, very slowly. The weight of his body was not helping, at all.

"A Greek god, who should've done more than just one pull-up a year...!" He reaches out to the next rung, just as the manhole cover opens, revealing the turtles and Amy.

"If we can find more glowy metal, we can use it to track Draxum," Raph tells them.

"I might be able to make us all goggles if I can divide the Hidden City mystic crystal in my lab," Donnie suggests and they start climbing.

"If not, I got a science-y idea of my own," Raph grins, Mikey looking up at him.

"Just don't let Pops see the crystal," He whispers to him.

"Oh man, he'd kill us if he knew we had a mystic Hidden-Pops?" He sees Splinter climbing up across from them.

"Father?"

He shouts in surprise at their voices, letting go of the ladder. His feet prevent him from falling as he stares at the five.

"Boys. Amelia."

"Uh," Leo glances away nervously. "What are you doing there?"

"And why are you dressed like...that?" Amy points to his clothes.

"Well, uh," Splinter taps his fingers against a rung. "What are _you_ doing there? And why is Amelia dressed like a knockoff of a teenage spy?"

"How rude!" Amy huffs in offense, turning her head away.

"Uh, nothing," Donnie quickly hides the mystic crystal he had in his hand. "Just having a typical, normal mystic-free day."

Raph slaps him on the shell, Amy slamming her fist on his head. "What?! I said mystic-free!" He glares up at them.

"Idiota," Amy mutters under her breath. Raph growls at him in frustration.

"Uh, me too. Totes normal, and definitely not investigating anything of the sort," He nods quickly and they do the same, smiling nervously. They continue to do this for a minute.

"Hey, that looks like my shirt," Mikey sees Splinter's clothing.

"Gotta go!" Splinter scrambles back up, breaking his back as he tries to climb faster. He climbs up twice, swinging around. "Bum bum bum bum bum bum!" He falls off and they stare at each other. He sings again as he leaves.

"I can't believe we fooled 'im!" Raph exclaims as Amy sticks out her tongue in disgust.

"I can't believe I had to see that."

"I cannot believe I fooled them," Splinter smirks once he reaches the top.

* * *

The turtles take off in their Turtle Tank, Amy following next to them on her motorcycle. "We'll cover ton of ground looking for glowy metal this way," Leo grins.

"And once we find some, we'll use it as bait to catch Draxum, and kick him out of New York for good!" Raph exclaims from his chair.

"Why kick him out?! We should just destroy him!" Amy shouts from their communicator. Their eyes widen at her angry tone.

"Whoa, let's not get ahead of ourselves, Ames," Leo tells her. "We said we'd get rid of him, but not that way."

"Fine..." She sighs in defeat. She'd rather make sure that he can never ruin another child's life. But if they were certain that kicking him out would ensure that he wouldn't mutate or kill anyone, then she believed them...after all, they did insist on helping her, and she couldn't just go off and do something against their wishes. They are her friends after all...

"This was a great idea, Raph," Mikey smiles at him. "Donnie's not the only genius in the family. Anything out of the ordinary yet, D?"

"Yes, your gross misuse of the word genius," Donnie is standing on top of the vehicle, strapped to a pole. He wiggles around, clutching at his throat. "I swallowed a bug. Ah, I ate it."

"Gross," Amy chuckles at him, the same bird from the zoo swooping down towards them. It has grown larger in size, about the same size as an eagle, and it now has a muscled body. The bird flies down to the vehicles, Donnie and Amy looking around. The bird appears behind Donnie and they both shout in surprise.

"BIRD! BIRD! G-GIANT...!"

"Guys...! We have a problem!" Amy calls out to them.

"Are they saying turn left or turn right?" Raph looks up in confusion. "Couldn't be-" The vehicle suddenly shakes and they look up ahead to see the mutated bird has Donnie. "Something's got Donnie! Not part of my plan!"

Donnie screams as the bird passes by some citizens, the Turtle Tank and Amy splashing water on Splinter. He shakes himself dry.

"New York, what a town," He shakes his head slowly, looking up at the sign. He's arrived at the Foot Shack, hoping that he was wrong and that he had nothing to worry about. The doors open as teens are looking at shirts, shoes, and other things. There's a mysterious brown door at the other side, and it's not a typical office door. It's big and round, with three Foot symbols in the middle. Splinter glances around weirdly, seeing a box. It was time to act normal.

He grabs the shoe box, sitting on a bench. Splinter glances around for anyone before he opens it, pulling out sandals with the Foot symbol on the bottom. April walks by, holding boxes. She smiles at him. "Hi, may I-" She stops speaking, dropping the boxes as she sees Splinter's disgusting feet and toenails. And his fake smile creeped her out so much, she almost peed. She recoils back in disgust.

"No way! Splints! You can't be in here."

"Uh, you must have me confused with someone else," Splinter lies, standing up. "My name is Randall. I am an average teenage boy," He dabs, but part of his fur burst from his clothing. He looks at himself, April facepalming.

"Oh man. You are totally gonna get me fired! You don't look anything like a teenager," She hisses at him.

"Hey, average teenager," A customer speaks up to Splinter. "What kind of kickies you getting?"

Splinter smiles at April knowingly that he was right about the word. "I will take a size six!" He kicks up his right foot. "Now," He sits back down, rubbing his hands. "Do not be alarmed, I suspect your store is being run by the most evil forces that ever walked the Earth!"

"You can _not_ be for real," She tells him in disbelief. Three people suddenly walk in. Brit, Foot Brute, and Foot Lieutenant are wearing Foot Shack uniforms.

"Foot face!" Splinter points to them in realization and she covers his mouth.

"Yeah, don't mention that. My bosses are super sensitive," She whispers, seeing the little boy. "Hey, isn't that the kid who keeps trying to get Amy to sell her place? What's he doing here?"

The three silently walk through the suspicious door, closing it.

"I must see what is in that vault," Splinter narrows his eyes, stepping forward.

"No, no, no, no, no," April grabs him by the shoulders, preventing him from moving. She drags him outside and he tries to wiggle out of her grip. "The only place you're going with that crazy theory is out of here!" She pushes him away, gasping as she sees him going into the alleyway.

"No!"

He scrambles to the alley to get away from her, gasping. "A skylight," He points up to it. "It might look over the secret room!" He runs over to the fire escape.

"Hey!" He jumps to the ladder and she follows after him. "Now you're climbing?!"

Donnie screams as the bird passes by the building. Amy's weapon turns into a grappling hook, which wraps around the leg of the bird, which zips past her. Since she's still holding onto it, she's taken out of her bike and dragged along, hanging onto the rope while she's in the air.

"Eep! I already don't like this! Get me off this thing!"

Splinter reaches the top, rushing over to the skylight. "Splinter!" April shouts at him. The rat is leaning against the window to see inside.

"It's Randall," He corrects her, falling inside the room. She gasps, cringing when she hears him hit the ground. She peeks over the window, sucking in a gasp as she sees him on the ground. He gives her a thumbs up, and she sighs in relief.

"Make sure he's okay, and then carry him back up," She climbs inside, "They won't see anything and you can keep your job," She's holding onto the edge when she sees her 'bosses' surrounded by Foot soldiers. "Okay, maybe just a team meeting I forgot about."

Splinter grabs her shirt, pulling her towards him. They roll to a stop and he places a finger between them.

"Shh! April, please. You do not know the great evil these men are capable of!"

Foot Brute comes in, wheeling in something that's underneath a curtain. "Behold, warriors of the Foot Clan," Foot Lieutenant pulls at the cover, which whisks into the air. Splinter grits his teeth, preparing himself for the danger that he was about to see. The curtain keeps going and Splinter's nerves keep going up by every second that passes. Foot Brute and Brit just watch with blank faces, Splinter sweating nervously.

Finally, the curtain lifts up to reveal...shoes. "Our new spring line," Foot Lieutenant smiles at the purple sandals. "Aren't they beautiful?"

Splinter shouts in shock, but then takes it back. "Wait a minute. Pump sandals? That is a thing? The Foot Clan have turned into shoe salesman," He laughs at the irony and how pathetic it was.

"I told you," April chimes in.

"Which we will use in today's...acquisition," Foot Lieutenant holds up a scroll.

"Acquisition of what, high heeled flip flops?" He laughs while nudging April, who smiles in relief.

Then the scroll reveals...a demon. Splinter's nerves go back to high level as his eye twitches. More haunting memories of fires and the laughter come back to haunt him.

"No!" His back breaks and April pulls him back as a Foot soldier looks up, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. He goes back to trying on the sandal. "No, I am too old and far too weak," He rubs his back.

"What?" April asks curiously.

"The evil that is about to be unleashed," He clenches a fist.

"Wait...you mean the pump sandals?"

"No," He sits up. "A demon banished 500 years ago. That picture is a piece of the Krystal Yistal. Oh, no, no, no. Kaitlin Yaitlin? No, the Kurol Yoroi. A mystic armor that swallowed the soul of the mad man who wore it."

 _The armored man caused chaos, facing a man holding a sword._

"When he was finally defeated, the armor was scattered around the globe. For centuries, my ancestors made sure none of the pieces fell into the hands of the Foot Clan."

"Those guys?" April points to them in shock. "I work at an evil shoe store?!" So much for keeping the job.

"I did not believe the legend either, so I, unlike my ancestors, put a bit more...chillax to my destiny. Instead of protecting humanity, yadda yadda, I chose fame and fortune. I dated starlets. Oh, now I remember who Krystal Yistal was! I raced cars and-and I had a good time. A really, really, really, very really good time." He chuckles at the memories. "Did I mention I had a good time?"

"Yup," April pushes him away slightly. "Got that part."

"And while I danced through life," As he's speaking, the same mutant bird lands on the building. "The dreaded Foot were regrouping." Donnie is in the bird's mouth, Amy having the opportunity. She climbs up the bird, who snatches her in his hand. "Once they collect the armor, their master will be freed, and there will be nothing that can save us."

"Mind blown!" April exclaims, the Turtle Tank charging at the bird. "Total game changer! No way we can let them do this."

Foot Lieutenant points towards the entrance of the vault, wearing the pump sandals. "To the train station to seize the artifact!"

They march forward as Foot Lieutenant looks down at Brit. "You know your job, Britney."

"It's Brit! Not Britney! I hate being called Britney," He crosses his arms, making a portal. He lands right in front of Amy's bakery...

"Not if my old wrinkled body has anything to say about it," Splinter declares, shaking his hips like he did before. "Bum bum bum bum bum bum! Bum bum bum bum bum bum!" He backflips, fixing his back.

"Uhh..." April just stares, not sure of what just happened.

"Don't be afraid. I will protect you," He waves off her confusion, watching two Foot soldiers closing the vault. He slips and falls down the shoe boxes, knocking the two down. The door is left slightly open. April taps her fingers against the railing.

"Just like you planned, right? Rodell."

"Randall!" He holds up a finger with a smile. He pulls a mask off a Foot soldier. "You will never walk the Earth again!" He puts the mask on, narrowing his eyes as he says the one name he didn't think he'd ever say again.

"Shredder..."

* * *

The moon is fully out as the Foot soldiers are standing in front of an open truck. April and Splinter peek at them from around the corner. "It is too dangerous. I must do this alone."

"Fine, we'll go in alone together," April follows him and they slide to a stop behind the line. Splinter places a hand in front of her.

"No! I am going deep undercover, to make sure they never obtain even one shred of the evil armor. Please, give my love to my sons...and to Amelia's blueberry pies."

"Hey guys," April reads as she starts texting them. "Your Pops loves you and Amy's blueberry pies. Do not reply all."

Mikey's phone rings and he grabs it from out of his shell. He's hanging onto one of the bird's arms. "Hey, a text!" He quickly reads it, his eyes softening. "Aww, Dad loves us."

"Focus," Raph climbs onto the other side of the bird. "We gotta get Mellie, Donnie, and the crystal back so we can find Draxum!"

"Thanks for the newsflash," Leo calls out, hanging onto the belly of the bird.

"Alright, let's get this bird out of the air. Start pulling feathers!" Donnie calls out as he and Amy are in the mouth of the bird. They do so rapidly, and soon, the bird starts losing control.

"It's working!"

A few seconds later, the bird is left naked and they start falling, but Amy is still in the mouth. She manages to get her arm free, punching the bird in the eye so that she's finally free.

"Now's a good time to tell Dad we love him back!" Mikey cries out as Donnie's hover wings appear. Amy pulls out her grappling hook free from the bird's leg.

April's phone rings a catchy tune and she realizes that she forgot to put it on silent. Foot Lieutenant hears the tune and sees her. "Employee O'Neil, back in the store!" He shouts, pointing towards the place. He couldn't afford having any employees come. April groans as she trudges back inside.

Splinter clears his throat. "Rookie recruit Randall here, boss!" He salutes with a smile. "Big fan of world domination."

Foot Lieutenant looks at him suspiciously before jerking his head towards the van. "Get in."

They take off with Splinter, but April follows after them on a bike. "Aprillll O'Neil!"

A few seconds after she leaves, the turtles, Amy, and bird crash through the ceiling, landing on the concrete. "We did it!" Mikey cheers as he lifts his head up. "We beat that thing!"

"Too bad that wasn't the mission," Raph calls out.

"Oh right, mystic metal," Donnie flies over to them. "You know, when we were plummeting, I saw some a few blocks away."

"Yes!" Raph grabs Donnie, holding him over his head. Leo grabs Amy, throwing her over his shoulder. She yelps at the sudden move. "To the Tank! Donnie, back on top."

Leo grabs Amy's remote and summons her bike, planting her on the front seat with a small thump. "Who wants to take my place? Free bugs!" Donnie calls out, but the Tank leaves, soaring over to the city.

* * *

At the train station, the Foot arrive. "Spread out! Alert me when you find it!" Foot Lieutenant orders and most of them just sit around on their lazy butts doing everything but find the shard. Brit arrives back and he laughs manically, holding up the helmet.

"Look at what I found! That insolent Amy didn't even know it was underground. Wasn't too hard to find," He brags, dusting himself off. "So when can I get my own soldiers? I mean, I know I'm a part of this too-"

Foot Lieutenant pushes Brit back into the portal in annoyance, catching the helmet as it lands in his hand. Splinter looks around the room, noticing something that the others don't. There was something about the hands of the clock...because one of them is actually the shard.

"The piece!" Something crashes behind him and he looks at the trash can. "You should not have followed me," He scolds as a pair of eyes peeks from inside the trash can. April emerges from inside, wearing a Foot uniform and mask. Her bang is sticking out.

"I wasn't gonna let you do it alone," She stumbles out the trash can. April would be devastated if something happened to him and she wasn't there to stop it.

"Since you will not go away, distract the Foot for me, so I can snag the armor piece," He points to the clock. She salutes to him, a banana peel on her head. April sneaks over to the Foot, standing between Foot Brute and Foot Lieutenant.

"Hey! Hello, evil ninjas! I saw a metal armor thingy back here," She points in the other direction, but they don't see anything, allowing Splinter to sneak past them. He jumps up and climbs up.

"What-what are we-what are we supposed to be-?" Foot Lieutenant stammers, glancing around as she points. "What are we supposed to be looking at?!" He facepalms with a sigh, Splinter plucking the piece from the clock.

"HEY!"

His eyes widen at Foot Lieutenant's voice. "What is in your hands?"

He sweats nervously as he hides the piece behind his back. "Yo, no need to be bugging, boss."

"Hey, that's the armor thing over there," April points right and when they look, Splinter laughs, glancing at the piece that's being held with his tail.

"One piece they will never find! Not even lunch, and I already saved the world," He smiles proudly to himself. He starts climbing until he hears a honk. Just when he thought he was free, he gets interrupted again! What could it possibly be this time?

The Turtle Tank and Amy's bike come crashing in, knocking down the clock and Splinter in the process. "What?!" Foot Lieutenant demands as he stands up.

"And he sticks the landing!" Leo jokes as Amy jumps off her bike, throwing down her helmet. Splinter looks up and gasps.

"My sons, Amelia!" He had no idea what they were doing here, but he doesn't have time to think about it as he grabs the fallen piece back.

"Mystic metal!" Donnie shouts, pointing to the exact same metal Splinter has.

"Just as I planned," Raph grins widely and his eyes widen upon seeing the Foot. "Wait, what are the flame heads doing here?"

"Excellent, Randall has the artifact," Foot Brute points to it.

"Hand it over, bozos," Raph demands, using Donnie's hand to point at them. "We got a bigger fish to catch."

"Bigger than us?" Foot Lieutenant asks, offended. "That hurts."

"And after you give us that piece back, I got bones to settle with you!" Amy points to them. "You jerks planted a bomb in my shop!"

"We have no idea what you're talking about," Foot Lieutenant lies through his teeth, knowing fully well that Amy's the only member who can actually beat them, and she actually poses a threat to them unlike the turtles.

"But we did," Foot Brute says in confusion, Foot Lieutenant facepalming.

"Ah ha! So Brit did tell you to do it!" She shouts at them angrily.

"So what if we did this or did that? At least we got something we wanted that you had," He holds up the helmet.

"I had that?" She asks in confusion, gritting her teeth. Whatever it was, it wasn't important right now. It was time for some well-deserved justice.

"Attack!" Foot Lieutenant declares, the Foot soldiers jumping towards them. Splinter does not join in, staring at the piece he has. April stops right next to him.

"Now, let the guys distract 'em. You and I can jet!" April offers, Splinter grabbing her arm.

"You can jet. Take the piece and get out of here. I must remain to ensure the Foot clan never rebuilds the armor. Do _not_ try to talk me out of it."

However, April is not next to him. He looks around for her and sees her about to take the escalator. "Okay!" She backflips away and Splinter runs up to make sure his goal is complete.

April takes the train, finding it weird that no one else is on it. "I wish I could fight with the fam, but Splints is right. Those creeps can't get the armor piece." She looks at the shard in her hands, but the lights start flickering. She looks up, wondering if the power was out...

A purple vine shoots out the seat next to her and another one arrives. She stands up, now caught in a trap as the lights go out completely.

"Noooo!" She shouts as she's surrounded.

"Yes!" Raph shouts, punching two soldiers. Mikey hits one with his whip, Leo with his odachi, Donnie hitting four from behind, and Amy hits some with her transformed hammer.

"Cowabunga!" The five shout as they defeat all the soldiers. Foot Lieutenant sighs, facepalming.

"We must stop finding recruits in ninja chat rooms..."

"You!" Foot Brute looks at Splinter, the only one left. "Randall!"

Splinter jumps up at the sound of his fake name, turning to the two. "Show us you are worthy or you are out of the Foot Clan!" Foot Lieutenant orders. He stands up, rubbing his neck. He really didn't want to fight them, as they could potentially find out who he is.

"Uh, yeah, uh, about that. I'm a little out of shape," He pats his belly. "I-I mean, uh, for a teen." The two glare at him and he shouts in surprise at their angry looks.

"DO IT NOW!" If he didn't do it, he wouldn't be able to stop them...but it was his family he'd be fighting...

"Ah, adorable," Leo grins as Splinter steps up, having made his choice. "What is it, bring your ninja son to ninja work day?"

"Surprisingly, yes," Splinter rubs his chin. "But if you back down now, we will let you go in peace." He was hoping they'd buy it so that he wouldn't have to actually fight them.

"Or what? You'll hug us with those cute little arms? Oo, so cute," Mikey teases, hugging himself. They all start laughing at him.

"You should just go! I am sure your father, whoever he may be, would like you to come home in one piece!"

"My father is dead!" Amy narrows her eyes at him and he cringes to himself.

"Oh, I did not mean to remind you-uh, I mean, I didn't know!" Splinter corrects himself, Amy raising a brow. Was it just her, or did his voice seem familiar at the first part?

"A little runt the exact same size as our Pops is telling us to go home to Daddy," Raph says and they fall to the floor laughing. "You crack me up!"

"Okay," Splinter narrows his eyes. If they weren't going to listen, they'd have to learn the hard way. "Looks like I have to teach you a lesson!" He waves them forward.

"Oh ho," Leo wipes away a tear. "Wow."

"Teach us a lesson, oh my god," Amy clutches her stomach. "I don't know who you are, but you just made today really great for me. Thanks!" She lets out a small laugh.

Leo cracks his knuckles, stepping forward as he swings his sword. He could take him down, easy...

Or so he thinks.

He holds out his sword in front of him, charging forward. Splinter kicks him in the stomach, causing him to drop the sword. He lands at the ticket kiosk, Amy's mouth opening in shock.

"Never underestimate your opponent!" Splinter scolds him, cracking his back. "Even if he does have a bad back."

"Bad back...?" Amy murmurs to herself. Unless he has scoliosis, no teen would ever have a bad back...in fact, the only person she knew who did was...

"Underestimate this!" Raph tries to punch him, but Splinter jumps onto his arm.

"Never rush in, Red guy!" He kicks Raph past Donnie and Mikey. Amy turns to Splinter in shock. Only Splinter calls Raph Red...but it could be just a coincidence, right?

"Sayonara, cutie pie!" Mikey flings his mystic fireball whip.

"That should've been spin, duck, thrust," Splinter jumps over the fire spirit, punching Mikey away. Donnie charges, spinning his staff, but Splinter dodges it. He jumps in the air, hitting Donnie with his tail. "Stop hitting yourself." He lands on the floor, sliding to a stop. Donnie spins around, flinging his rocket while saying a science catchphrase. He slams down his weapon, but Splinter isn't in his spot.

"What?!" Splinter sweeps his tail, knocking him down. He hits him again, taking a hold of his weapon. "Who's your daddy?!" He knocks Donnie into a bench, standing on top of the staff. "Do not rely on your tech, funny one."

Amy kicks down the staff, taking Splinter with it. "I know who you are," She says simply, which is why she's not attacking. His eyes widen and he clasps his hands.

"Please, Amelia, do not tel-"

A yell interrupts them. "Come on!" Raph jumps into the air and Splinter scrambles back as Raph punches the ground. Splinter lands on the bench, using it to kick it towards Raph's face. While he's distracted, Amy sweeps the leg, knocking to the ground. She whistles innocently, as she's wanted to do that for a while now.

Leo and Donnie attack from behind, but Splinter avoids it, landing against the wall. He zips past Leo and Mikey, pulling at their masks. He jumps on Leo's shoulders, dodging all of Raph's punches. Leo spins around for a kick, Raph trying another punch. Splinter dodges both of them, grabbing Leo's leg and pushing him away. Mikey flings his whip, but Splinter deflects it back to him.

"Ames, what are you doing?! You're not gonna help us out?!" Leo calls out to the girl, who casually sips her coffee. She smiles in amusement, waving him off.

"I think after the bird, it would be pointless now." Besides, she wanted to see how long Splinter could put up this charade. And she'd rather not get her butt kicked.

Splinter grabs Raph and Leo's arms, throwing them away. He jumps as Donnie swings his staff, causing his brothers to get caught up in his rocket. They land in front of the Turtle Tank, Raph landing on top of them.

"Thus ended the lesson," Splinter bows, Amy clapping slowly. Splinter chuckles, laying down on the roof.

"Randall!" He peeks over the roof to see Foot Lieutenant and Foot Brute.

"Hand me the artifact," Foot Lieutenant orders and he looks around for it.

"W-Wait, where did I? You know, I think I dropped it. My bad!" He fakes his innocence.

"Look for it!" Foot Lieutenant orders the other Foot soldiers. The ground starts shaking and purple vines emerge from below. Splinter looks around, wondering what's happening. He rolls to a stop in front of the others as Amy joins them, shocked. The vines surround the groups and start heading towards them. They jump out of the way as the ceiling crumbles. The turtles and Amy groan as they're on top of rubble, Splinter coughing.

He looks up to see Baron Draxum arriving out of a subway car. Splinter hides behind a rock as Draxum lands with a thump.

"Draxum," He whispers in shock, planting his back against the rock. "I am as shocked as I am repulsed."

Foot Lieutenant slides down a rock. "Are you mad?! That little stunt could've killed us!"

"Baron Draxum?" Leo asks once they've gotten up. "It's like a bad guy convention!"

"Rrr," Amy growls at the sight of him.

"Once again, my plan worked," Raph lands next to Amy, hands on his hips.

"Technically, it didn-" She facepalms in defeat, shaking her head.

"They all know each other?" Splinter looks between the groups and his family.

"For boys who claim they don't like me, you sure are clingy," Baron points out.

"Wait a minute, you're working for these jerks?" Raph points to Foot Lieutenant.

"Correction, we are working together," He gestures to the foot leaders. "Except for this one," He reveals April trapped in a vine. "Stealing our property," He holds up the stolen shard, throwing April to the ground.

"April!" Splinter exclaims in shock. April scoots back from the Foot leaders. Splinter points a sword at her. "Unvine the traitor, so I can show her how we treat people who betray the Foot!"

"I really like this Randall kid," Foot Brute nudges Foot Lieutenant. Splinter shows his sword to April's eyes, which switches to Draxum then back to her. He winks and she nods in understanding, narrowing her eyes. He stares up at Draxum and instead charging towards April, he jumps towards the warrior scientist...but breaks his back in the process. "Oh nellie! Okay, give me a quick ten. I'll be right with you. Bum bum bum bum bum bum! Bum bum bum bum bum-"

The turtles gasp in shock as they recognize that tune. "Father?!"

"Omigosh!"

"It's Pops!"

"Finally you figure it out!" Amy exclaims to them.

"You knew the whole time?!" Donnie shouts at her.

"I thought it was obvious," She does an imitation of Donnie's voice. He gasps sharply.

"You did not just go there just because I didn't tell you about Jeremy's crush on you!"

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't," Amy shrugs at him. "But it was hilarious seeing you try to fight him either way."

"Wait," Baron Draxum says slowly, Splinter standing up.

"No! Do not reveal-" The vines grab him and he's brought to Baron, who unmasks him.

"Dad?!"

"Father?!"

Baron Draxum laughs at the glaring Splinter. "You call this gutter trash father? As if _this_ could be the great Lou Jitsu."

"Well, he's not technically my father," Amy gestures to herself, eyes widening. "Wait, what did you just say?"

"I have been living large long enough," Splinter shakes his head. "I shall no longer deny my destiny! Hot soup!" He breaks out of the vines.

"Hot soup?" Baron utters the catchphrase, looking up at Splinter. Lou Jitsu used that same move, and would say the same thing when he was caught by an opponent. "That same fire! I see it now! You _are_ Lou Jitsu!"

"No way!"

"What?!"

"Splinter...you're Lou Jitsu?! The same Lou Jitsu that's in their DNA? _That_ Lou Jitsu?!" Amy exclaims in shock, glancing between the turtles and the rat.

"Randall's Lou Jitsu?" Foot Lieutenant asks in disbelief before he and Foot Brute start fan girling.

"I love Jitsu For Justice!" Foot Brute exclaims with a big smile.

"Punch Chowder changed my life!" Foot Lieutenant holds up some Lou Jitsu merchandise, hoping that Splinter will sign it. April backflips to the shocked turtles and Amy.

"Psst, guys." She removes the mask. "Over here!"

"What?!"

"April's a villain?!"

"Okay, my face is gonna break from all this craziness!" Amy calls out in annoyance. "There better not be anything else!"

"Yes, I mean, no!" April shakes her head rapidly. "I'm undercover with your dad."

"That makes more sense," Mikey rubs his chin.

"Let's trounce these bozos!" April declares, the boys hollering.

"Yes!"

Amy cuts April free and Foot Lieutenant points to the group. "Get them!" The origami soldiers charge, with Mikey swinging his fire spirit. Leo slashes one to pieces. Donnie swings his staff. April kicks one as Amy spins around, slashing her sword at one. Raph runs up to Draxum.

"Power smash jitsu!" His red mystic gauntlets appear and he punches Draxum in the stomach. Splinter looks at Raph in awe that their weapons could do this. Amy pirouettes into the air, swinging her sword again. A large electric blast hits Draxum, knocking him into the subway car past his accomplices. The shard goes flying out of his hand, landing on the subway tracks. It gets trampled by the incoming car and Foot Lieutenant flings multiple soldier origami. They turn into soldiers and Raph looks up at the army.

"Uh oh."

"We have to grab that-"

"Too many of 'em!" Raph grabs Splinter before he could finish his sentence. "We gotta go."

"They must not get the armor!" Splinter shouts, all of them jumping onto the passing subway car. Draxum stares as they leave, all of them staring him down.

"Amelia...say hello to your mother for me," Draxum smirks knowingly at Amy, who angrily points her sword at him.

"SHUT UP!" She squeezes her eyes shut. "YOU SHUT UP!"

They'd be back...

And then they'll finally get rid of him.

"Last time you get away that easy, Lou Jitsu," Draxum declares, clenching his fists. The next time he sees them...

They will perish.

* * *

Splinter rubs Raph's head once they're off the train. "Thank you, my sons. And might I add," He hits them all in the head.

"Hey, what was that for? I kept my mouth shut!" Amy exclaims in protest.

"You are all grounded! And yes, that means you too!" He points to Amy.

"WHAT?!" They all shout at him.

"For not telling me you knew Draxum," Splinter crosses his arms.

"Come on, what about all your secrets?" Leo points to him accusingly. Splinter throws a rock at him and Amy throws her shoe in retaliation.

"I didn't have to tell you because I didn't think YOU knew him! I've known him just as long as you have!" Amy gestures to herself, snatching her shoe back. "He didn't kill your family!" She throws a shuriken at him. "Or try to blow you up!" She throws a rock at him. "And we had the same reasons as you not telling us you were Lou Jitsu, so I think it was fully justified, thank you very much! I hate him as much as you do, you know!" She pants slowly, frustrated at his reasoning.

"No!" Splinter stands up, dusting himself off. "I will not ground me for my secrets! But, I will tell you everything. My sons...our destiny begins tomorrow, and we are way behind. Now, someone carry me, I can hear my bones rattling."

"Whatever," Amy huffs, grabbing her sword and stomping down the track. Nearby, the Foot and Draxum find the broken piece and restore it like it was nothing. Brit reappears near them.

"I'm ready! Wait," He looks around, pouting. "Aw, I missed the fight. No fair..." He kicks the ground dejectedly.

"Pops, Draxum put Ames through a lot. Don't you think you were a little harsh?" Leo asks, rubbing his head.

"She's right, you two did go through the same thing," Donnie holds up a finger.

Splinter thinks about it, and finds that Purple has a point. Amy had gone through a lot _because_ of Draxum. In fact, if he hadn't interfered with her life, the turtles wouldn't even have her around.

* * *

At the Foot Shack, a staircase forms into the ground. It leads to an underground room, which is lit with candles. The four walk forward, Foot Lieutenant grinning as he holds the piece. Baron holds up the one he got from the zoo and they connect them. Foor Lieutenant holds up the helmet and puts that on first before putting the two pieces in. This causes all the candles to go out and they all smile at a deconstructed body.

A face emerges from the helmet...the one and only...

The Shredder.

* * *

Amy sighs as she leans against the entrance to her room, frowning. She couldn't believe that stupid little brat was behind the whole bombing...and that she didn't see it before. She should've known that he'd do something like this after she learned about the team-up between him and the Foot. All that sweat, hard work, and dedication...

Attacked, just like that.

And she didn't do a thing to stop it.

And what was up with the helmet that was underneath her shop? Why did Brit even want it in the first place? She's asking all the questions and she has nothing to answer.

Suddenly, she's sprayed with water. "Eep!" She looks down to see Leo holding a water gun, smirking.

"Leo!" She shouts, jumping down to him in anger. He just laughs and runs off to the kitchen. She chases after him, ready to beat him up, but he comes to a stop once he gets inside.

"Get her!" He declares, pointing. The other turtles, Splinter, and April suddenly come out of hiding spots. They hit her with everything they've got: water guns, water balloons, and shaken-up sodas. Amy laughs as she tries to fend off the water, but it does nothing to stop them.

"Ah, no, stop! It's cold!" She protests and they run out of ammo, leaving her soaking wet. They all laugh at how funny she looked and she stands up, giggling. It then turns into an angry look directed towards them. They scramble out the entrance in fear, Leo running past her. She grabs his shoulder.

"Not you!"

"Um," He laughs nervously as he turns to her.

"I'm sticky...I'm wet...and...I'm also kind of trying not to laugh at how ridiculous I look," She starts laughing and he stares at her, smiling. Suddenly she's gone from sad to happy, and Leo managed to do that in an instant.

"Hey, uh," He rubs his arm sheepishly. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"...I am now," She smiles softly, engulfing him into a hug. He returns it, even though she was cold, but he didn't care.

It still felt warm to him.

Someone clears his throat and they look towards Splinter. "Amelia...I am sorry for how I acted," He bows his head, glancing around. He snatches a pie that was already baked. "I made this as my apology."

"I'd accept the pie...if I didn't bring it earlier this morning," She gives him a deadpan look. "But I forgive you."

"Wait, when did this get here?!" Leo snatches the pie. "Were you hiding it for yourself?!"

"No, no," Splinter waves a hand. "I would never...it was him!" He points to nothing and they turn around. When they turn back, Splinter and the pie are nowhere to be seen.

"Remind me to never bring anything and to just bake it here," Amy deadpans to Leo.


	29. Portal Jacked!

**Angel: To TMNTFAN415, no offense, but your OC is sounding way too similar to mine. And it seems like it's for 2012 (which I've long written and been done with for almost a year), because there's no hints for the Kraang in this 2018 version. Raph doesn't have that many outbursts here, you didn't mention Baron Draxum, and only Raph is 15 here as far as I know, so I know you're not talking about this show. Plus, I don't need another OC with ice powers, I already have one in 2012. Putting another OC with mine would be redundant because every other Amy has ice powers. And she has a close relationship with April, so I won't accept him.**

 **I'm not adding OCs right now for this story (yes that includes Ann and Lily), or changing the dynamic of the other TMNT shows I've written and finished just because someone came up with an OC. Maybe in TMNT OneShots, but not for a story I wrote that's been done for the past 2 years or so. Yeah, I did a remake for the first season of the previous show, but I haven't gotten any votes for a second season, so it ain't happening. Sorry, but I just can't have another OC who's just like mine. That'd be weird.**

 **And I'm not going through another Sophia X incident where so many people wanted something that when I asked, that was the majority vote! Never again!**

 **To Katelyn Ruppel, happy belated birthday, and please don't blame me because they decided to change the date.**

 **I'm sorry for the delay, they pushed this episode back to a week later for some reason. Maybe they weren't satisfied with how the episode was. *shrugs* But I'm glad to be back. Also...in May, it'll be 35 years since TMNT was established as a franchise! Hooray! I'm honestly just glad that my cousin convinced me to watch the 2012 series or else I wouldn't be here right now. If I didn't, I would've been doing other cartoons...I already do that, though XD But most of my roster is TMNT. I haven't even gotten to my 25th story yet. I'd probably be doing just random cartoons instead of focusing on just one. I mean, come on, at least 20 of my stories are TMNT XD**

 **Since this episode is number 29 overall, don't expect it to be 28 in the story for long. I'm obviously gonna switch things around again whenever Shadow of Evil gets released because it's episode 16 and this is 17 A. But for now, enjoy it as it is. Sparring Partner has to go after this, but after the 27th, it won't be the episode after this one.**

Senor Hueso looks over a grandeur pirate ship, grinning in satisfaction. "Ah..." He then has a focused face as he pulls out a tiny paintbrush, painting the model ship that he actually has. All was peaceful like he wanted it...until the door bursts open.

He shouts in surprise, falling off his chair as Amy and Leo run up to him. "Senor Hueso, you gotta help us!"

"Certainly," He stands up, "I will begin by teaching you how to leave. Buh bye," He waves them off, annoyed.

"Will you just listen to us first?!" Amy asks, panicked. He had to admit, it was different to see her this way. Last time he saw her, she was her normal self.

"But this is an emergency!" Leo starts off, "You won't believe what just happened."

 _"Oh yeah!" Mikey exclaimed, Raph's arm around him._

 _"We gotta get to Run of the Mill Pizza before they close!" Raph glanced to a grinning Donnie._

 _"Mm, I can't wait to try their new meatless option. Vegetable!"_

 _Amy was wearing an off-shoulder dark purple ¾ length blouse with a light pink skirt, which was decorated with red cherries. On the blouse was a pink frosted cupcake with a cherry on top. There was a pink belt around her waist with a plastic red cherry in the center. Her socks were lavender and ankle length while her shoes were light pink glitter flats. Her earrings were cupcakes dangling from her ears as her necklace had a single cupcake charm. Her hair was in a low ponytail, with a big pink pow holding it._

 _"You must really love cupcakes," Leo chuckled, pointing to her clothes. She just shrugged at him._

 _"I'm in a cupcake mood. Sue me. Now I want cupcakes."_

 _He just laughed as she walked off to make some._

 _"Say no more, mis hermanos!" Leo announced to them. "I'll use my ultra-reliable portaling sword to get us there," Leo smirked, pointing to them. Amy's eyes widened as he swiveled his hips, spinning his sword in the air. She immediately ran back to him, as the sword was only half reliable._

 _"No, no, no, no, no!" The others protested in fear but he didn't listen as he sliced the air, creating a huge portal. They were thrusted inside, but only Leo and Amy landed in front of the graffiti wall. He looked around, seeing Amy rubbing her head next to him._

 _"Ohhh boy," He cringed nervously._

 _"Uh, where are the guys?" Amy looked around._

"We came out fine, but when they came out, they didn't come out! My brothers are gone!" Leo laments, sitting in the chair. Amy places a comforting hand on his shoulder. If only he listened to them...maybe then they wouldn't be in this situation. Who knows what they could be going through right now?

"Ah, this sounds like a classic case of portal jacking," Senor Hueso rubs his chin as he recognizes the situation.

"Oh, duh!" Leo exclaims knowingly, glancing back at the bone man. He's actually never heard of it. "What's portal jacking?"

"Hidden City pirates can escape the contents of a portal, especially if portal-maker is, shall we say, lame," He gives Leo a look, placing down his model ship. Amy glares at him, crossing his arms. What they needed was help, not sass.

"Oh ho ho!" Leo snaps his fingers, standing up. "You'll have plenty more chances to zing me while you help us find my brothers. Vamonos!" He opens a briefcase and takes the model ship, breaking it when he shuts it closed. Amy cringes at him, Senor Hueso sighing slowly. He'll just ask Amy to get him a new one...

"While I'd like to help my favorite customers, you're not him," He points to a picture of Todd on the wall.

"Should've guessed," Amy shrugs at it.

"And I do not go to the Hidden City. Look on the bright side. You'll get used to the crushing loneliness."

Leo scoffs, Amy rolling her eyes. "Senor Hueso, loneliness isn't something you get used to like it's nothing. It stays with you forever...and I would know."

"Look," Leo places his hands on the desk. "Bone man, my brothers, my lady, and I buy enough pizza to put Hueso Jr through bone college!" He points to a picture of Senor Hueso happily holding his son on his shoulders. "Have you seen our frequent buyer card?"

Leo points out a buyer card...that goes onto the table in length. Senor Hueso sighs at them wearily.

"Fine, I will show you the way to the Hidden City. But, my help ends there," He points at the two. They glance at each other knowingly, as they weren't really going to let him go that easily. He's right near the Hidden City, of course he's been there.

* * *

He opens up a trash can outside the building. "The Hidden City is in the trash?" Leo asks skeptically.

"I'm already doubting asking him," Amy whispers to the turtle as she peeks over it.

"There are many doorways, but this one fits you best." Leo and Amy give him a look as he pulls a lever. The trash suddenly disappears, revealing the secret passage.

"Sweet, in we go."

"Come on," Amy stands on the edge, looking over the way.

"No, I-" Leo grabs him and Amy jumps through first. They fall through screaming at the drop. Suddenly they emerge out of a gargoyle's nose, arriving into the Hidden City. Amy glances at something, seeing that one of the stones is big enough to pierce through.

"Leo, your sword! There!" She points to the spot and he throws it. The sword sticks into the stone. Amy pulls out their weapon as they're still falling and it turns into a yo yo. She throws it at the sword quickly, grabbing Leo's hand. He grabs Senor Hueso and they swing to the ground safely. She dusts herself off as she pulls on the yo yo. It swings back to her and she holds out her hand, grabbing Leo's sword. She holds it out to him and he grins at her instincts.

 _She always knows what to do...she's so strong._

"Whoa," Leo notices the environment around them. It's a lake with rocks around them, creatures swimming by. "Who's your architect? Frank Lord Gargoyle?"

"You fools!" Senor Hueso exclaims at them. "You should not have brought me!"

"Halt!" They hear as a horn blasts. They look up to see a blimp approaching them. "Hidden City Police!"

"The police?! But we just got here," Amy points to the ground.

"Hueso!" One of them recognizes the bone man. "How dare you show your skull here?! We're taking you in," He starts flying towards them.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Senor Hueso runs past the confused duo, jumping off a rock. They turn back to the police winged-man, who throws a disc at them. They hit it back to them, but not before the policeman throws a bunch of orbs at them. They get trapped in their own device and the two shout in surprise, seeing the orbs that are ticking!

They immediately spring into action, Amy spinning her yo yo to fend some off. Leo spins his sword in front of her so that they fly away from her direction. Amy flips around while still spinning her yo yo. They both flip around each other, still fending off the orbs. They're soon gone and they stand in a heroic pose, panting.

"Huh..." Amy stares at her hands in shock. They've never fought together like that before.

"You'll pay for this!" One policeman shouts at them.

"I, Baron Draxum, humbly apologize!" Leo replies smugly, Amy frowning to herself at the name. She hadn't heard it ever since she found out the reason behind her siblings' murders, and hearing it again brought back vile memories. The way he disregarded life...and talked about her wanting to be his warrior.

It was sick, degrading, insane.

Leo looks up to see Senor Hueso trying to escape. He pants as he crawls up the rock, Amy and Leo flipping up to him. "Senor Hueso, are you a wanted man?" Leo asks, as there was only one reason why Senor Hueso didn't want to come, and why the police were after him.

"Yes," He shouts as he nears the edge. Leo chuckles, his sword over his shoulder as he smirks.

"You are full of surprises."

"You have no idea," Senor Hueso smirks back, jumping off. They both gasp. "So long, amigos!" He waves as he's flying on a dragon-like bird. The bird suddenly staggers. "No, no, no!"

Leo and Amy are holding onto the legs. "Ho ho!" Leo grins at their move.

"Do you have any idea how much danger you have put me in?!" He demands them.

"We do now, so where we going?" Leo asks curiously.

"Where the police dare not go."

"Splinter's laundry pile?" Leo wonders, as he remembers the pile from Big Mama's hotel. Now that was somewhere he'd definitely not go back to.

* * *

The bird lands at the docks, dropping all of them. Senor Hueso lands safely, but Leo does not. Amy lands in front of the groaning Leo. Senor Hueso whistles in amusement, taking the lead. Beers are toasted as people are singing, or exploring the area. Leo catches up to Amy and Senor Hueso.

"Ooo, the docks. Interesting vibe," He scopes the area. "Sort of Cape Cod meets state prison."

"Okay," Senor Hueso stops them. "Here is the plan. You stay here, and I will find a way back to New York."

"Dude, let me say this in a language you can understand: no!" Leo tips Senor Hueso's hat. "We saved your tail back there, you owe us!"

"Okay," He chuckles, adjusting his hat. "Pepino and senorita, if this is the only way I get out of here in 206 pieces, I will give you what you need. Come," He gestures to a person sitting at the bar, wearing a brown cowboy hat. "Do you see that one over there? That one knows everything you need to know. Now, you go show him who's the top dog."

"Hard as nails!" Leo grabs Amy's hand and walks over, Senor Hueso smirking to himself. What they don't know is that they're walking into a trap. "Listen, pipsqueak! I'm top dog, and you're gonna answer my questions!"

He turns the person around to see an old woman. "Huh?"

"But..." Amy is about to turn around to Senor Hueso, only for a big mutant to tower over them.

"You hassling my Gram-Gram?" They sweat at his height.

"He says he's top dog. He does have a beautiful girlfriend, though! What cheekbones!"

"Oh no," Amy waves her hands nervously to both of them. "We're not-"

He grabs Leo's arm. "I'm Top Dog!" He punches both of them and they land on the ground.

"Senor, I didn't do so good-" He sees him trying to escape. "YOU ARE NOT DITCHING ME HERE!"

Senor Hueso slides out the exit. "Get back here, you skinless coward! You're gonna help us find my brothers!" They chase after him and Leo slices the air, creating a portal behind Senor Hueso. He sees it disappear.

"Estupido," He mutters under his breath. He looks up ahead and shouts, stopping in his tracks when he sees another portal in front of him. Leo snatches him.

"Get in here!" They get inside and it closes. They land on rocks, Leo tackling Senor Hueso. Amy coughs as she stands up. "You set us up!"

"I did, yes," He admits, Amy glaring at him.

"We oughta portal you back to the cops!" Leo threatens, Amy's eyes slowly widening.

"Hm? With no sword?"

"Ah!" Leo stands up as he realizes he's not holding it. He looks around in panic. "Ah, no, no, no, no!" He places his hand on his head, screaming. "Portal jacked again?! First my brothers, now my sword! What's gonna happen the next time? Oh wait, there won't be a next time because I have no sword! Ugggh!" He grits his teeth at his rotten luck.

Amy searches for her own, grunting when she sees that her weapon is gone too.

"There there, you will be fine," Senor Hueso pats his shoulder.

"Leo...? Do you think we can find them in here? This place...is so big," Amy looks on in concern. Leo turns to her quietly.

"We will. Come on, we can't stop now..." Something's off about her, though. She's been almost silent ever since they stopped the police. Maybe it's because she's in a place full of mutants? Maybe because his brothers are lost? Or maybe...

She truly doesn't want to be stuck with him of all people.

"My lady...why are you so distracted?" He decides to ask.

"...I don't know," She murmurs to herself. "You guys and April are my only friends...after Draxum, no one wanted to hang out with me. I never...I never thought I'd find companions in the type of people I used to hate."

"Do you...still hate mutants?" He walks up to her and she bites her lip at how close he is. She could smell the sweat from him, but it wasn't disgusting in any way.

"Well, not you guys. I don't really hate all mutants...just Draxum and the other mutants we've dealt with as enemies. And because of what he did...I guess I just didn't want to see other ones. Maybe I'm just being petty...which is probably true...maybe it's better if I really was alone...I really am a bad person for feeling that way towards innocent mu-"

"No you're not!" Leo suddenly exclaims to her shock. He looks mad, but not at her...she's never seen him like this. "Ames, you're the sweetest girl I've ever met! Draxum was the one who did all those things to you. I'm sure that you'll never forget the horrible things he did, but he's a crazy warrior scientist who threw me off a roof and ruined your life!"

"But I was trying to ruin h-his," She stammers, blushing at what he said about her. "I tried to kill him because I was overcome with anger..."

"But-"

"I know he did wrong things!" She squeezes her eyes shut. "But I shouldn't blame other mutants for something only one person did! Some of them...actually turn out to be not so bad...but somehow...I just feel guilty! Like everything was my fault...!" A tear streams down her cheek as he stares at her. She sounded...really sincere and hurt for everything that had happened to her. "I-I don't want to cry...! I really don't! But I'm not strong as everyone thinks I am. I just can't stop...thinking about how weak I am inside and the only thing I can think of is how I keep being tough on people and closed off from my friends...When-When I tried to hurt Draxum, I felt like another person that I don't wanna be..." She clutches at her shirt where her heart is. "I acted so blind and stupid...then I realized that I don't know what I'm doing anymore, Leo...I'm suddenly having emotions over people I used to hate, and actually opening up...telling you guys things that I wouldn't dare repeat. And...for the first time in what felt like forever, I'm actually having fun...and not worrying about anything else."

He stays silent at her rant. It is true that she had changed. Not once had she mentioned her mother the whole time she was staying with them. And she had been more lenient on letting them visit her whenever they wanted. She really was different...a good different. All she needed was to actually start living her life instead of wondering what to do with it.

And they had done that.

"I mean...you know what kind of person I was when I met you. I never thought I could feel this free again. But I looked so annoyed and pissed when we met...sometimes I wonder, will you stop liking me? Am I that bad? It's happened before like I told Mikey when we went to get that game. But you...but...b-but I don't want to go back to how I was...! Is that so awful to say when you have a mentally unstable mother as your only family? Maybe I didn't mean to hate mutants at all...! But I can't stop feeling so horrible...!"

He steps closer as she starts to cry floods of tears. Leo wraps his arms around her gently, silently telling her to go on.

"This suffocating feeling in my chest...it's awful! I hate it! I know I'm probably being a baby...but if the others see me like this...I'll just cry my eyes out! This is the first time I've felt this awful! Not even when they told me about my mom's state when my family died! I've never cried so much in my life! Not like this! I've been sad but it was never like this...! Even fights with my mother aren't this bad, and I feel so awful that I'm even saying that! I hate myself like this...! I'm nothing special. I just don't know what to do anymore...What's wrong with me, Leo? Why is this happening to me...?"

"You already know why," He whispers into her ear and she sniffles. "Because you haven't accepted change, Amy. And that's okay. You're not a bad person for having these feelings. If anything...you're still the bravest, strongest, and the most wonderful girl I've ever met..."

"...I am?" She sniffles slowly.

"Yes..." He tightens the hug. "You are special, and if I have to, I'll show you how special you are. And no matter what, you're going to get through this. I know you will. Because you're...electrifying." He winks at her.

She laughs lightly, sniffling as she wipes her nose with her sleeve. "Thanks, Leo. Your jokes were...actually the one thing I wanted to hear right now."

He smiles to himself that she wasn't spiteful towards him because of their situation. How could this girl used to hate mutants and yet still be compassionate towards them? He didn't know, and he couldn't care less. Amy wasn't blind, she knew now that not all mutants were the same. The turtles and Splinter were proof of that.

"Come on, no more tears," He wipes them away gently with his thumb. "I can't do this alone. I need you to be strong, both of us have to."

Amy nods sharply, clenching her fists in determination. "Right! We can't leave them alone out here! Let's work together, Leo! Until the end!"

He nods at her and they look around for the bone man, but he's walking away. "Goodbye."

"We will not be fine!" Leo shouts after him. "There's no team with just a faceman! I need my brainy guy, and my smashing guy, and eats-peanut-butter-with-his-fingers guy!"

"Ew," Amy makes a face. "Remind me to tell Mikey to wash his hands from now on...unless peanut butter is involved."

"I already have a potential love interest in the team! I'm nothing without them!" Leo looks down at his hands, Amy ignoring the first sentence for the sake of giving him a hug. "You wouldn't understand. I guess your heart's made of bone, too. Adios, Hueso."

"We really thought you would help us find them...but I guess you really don't care. We counted on you and instead you're running away," Amy tells him and they walk in the other direction. He comes to a stop, sighing. While it is them, he wasn't heartless. As much as he didn't want to be there, they were wrong. He did have a heart.

"Pepino! Senorita!" He calls out after them and they turn to him. "Wait. I do know what it is to lose someone. I will help you."

"Good. But if you're tricking us and you try to run, you'll regret it," Amy narrows her eyes, meaning business.

"But on one condition. I also want something sweet, if you catch my drift," He glances at Amy, who raises a brow. "Rumor has it you own a bakery. Perhaps maybe you could make some mantecados?" He rubs his chin.

"I see what you mean," She deadpans, narrowing her eyes in annoyance. "Fine, you'll get your mantecados."

"We need your bike, Ames," Leo looks to her and she rubs her neck. "If we can get around faster, we'll find them in no time."

"I, uh, don't have the remote to bring it. Chewbacon's borrowing my bike for tonight..."

"What?" Leo asks in confusion. "But-that doesn't even-" He sighs in defeat, knowing that she wasn't lying. He did wonder how a pig like him could ride it, though...

* * *

"The theft of your weapons may be a blessing in disguise," Senor Hueso is escorting them back to the docks. "This shop is known for selling stolen weapons. And the portal thieves may come to unload your-"

"There they are!" Leo points to someone holding his sword. The other mutant, a shark, is spinning around Amy's yo yo. It hits him on the head and he grunts in annoyance, throwing it into his bag as he rubs his head in pain.

"Bone head, you're a genius!" Leo exclaims, Senor Hueso shocked at the timing. "Hot soup!" Leo jumps into action, kicking the weasel to a wall. Leo lands in front of the other one, who snatches his sword. He swings it at Leo, chuckling, only to fall onto the ground. Amy and Senor Hueso are standing behind him, the bone man holding his leg.

"Ole!" He falls to the ground. Amy would help him, but...nah.

"Oh ho ho!" Leo grabs his sword back, chuckling. He turns to the bag where Amy's yo yo is stashed inside, holding it up. There's a logo stitched on it.

"The Queen Alexis," Senor Hueso's eyes widen in fear.

"That must be the ship where they got my bros!" Leo realizes, Amy opening the bag. She reaches in and gets her weapon back. "Raph, Mikey, I guess maybe Donnie, I'm coming for ya!"

"Leo!" Amy exclaims at him in disbelief. "Either way we're gonna rescue Donnie. God."

"We need disguises to get on board," Senor Hueso points out.

* * *

They reach the Queen Alexis, Leo wearing a puffy shirt underneath a blue vest. He has a large pirate hat with a feather on it, a brown belt around his waist. His sword is in a hilt next to his waist. His pants are ripped at the bottom. He keeps his socks and arm gloves. Over his eyes are two eye patches. Senor Hueso has a red bandana, and a brown jacket with a red handkerchief tucked in. He wears black pants and pirate boots. And finally, Amy is wearing a white top with a red and gold bodice, along with a gold sarong and white petticoat. She's barefoot as she wears golden hoop earrings, a golden bangle on her right wrist, and matching bracelet and anklet on her left hand and left ankle. Her hair is tied back with a gold ribbon.

"You went with two eye patches, eh?" Senor Hueso asks skeptically. "And Amelia, a gypsy?"

"When's the last time you saw a female pirate?" She questions back.

"Good point."

"I think I know what I'm doing," Leo replies, walking into a pole. Amy and Hueso glance at him as he stands up. "So where's the ship?" He's lost an eye patch.

"There!" Senor Hueso points up to the sky and they see the floating ship.

"Sky pirates, you are going down!" Leo declares, pointing to the ship with his sword. He slices the air to make a portal.

"Wait! We need to formulate a-" Leo pushes both of them inside, landing on the planks of the ship. "Plan," He coughs out.

"Don't worry," Leo stands up confidently. "My plan is to wing it!"

"Oy vey," Senor Hueso mutters.

"Actually, it's worked for him, more or less," Amy shrugs at him.

"Is that faith in me I'm hearing?" Leo smirks at her and she rolls her eyes.

"Well...you've never proven me wrong...yet." She glances away and his eyes shine as he sees her outfit.

"Yar!" They turn around to see the crew. "Who be ye?" They point their swords at the turtle and girl.

"Who be we? We be your ship's entertainment. I'm Captain Bluemask, and this is my hilarious sidekick, Jolly Roger! And my first mate, Esmeralda!" He swings his leg to slide a chair to him. "Boy Rog, you sure have lost weight!" He smiles widely, Amy silently shaking her head at him.

"Please, do not do this," Senor Hueso deadpans at the ridiculous plan.

"Okay, looks like somebody's lost his funny bone!" Leo jokes, Amy facepalming. He gives her a signal and she plays a tambourine to go along with the 'act.' The crew just stares at them silently.

"That joke is so lame, it requires a leg," Senor Hueso deadpans, but the crew fall for it and laugh.

"I get it!"

"That was good, that was good," Leo congratulates a deadpan-looked Hueso. "But remember, you're the straight man."

"Whatever it is, it's working," Amy whispers to him.

"Oi! Let's get some dancing from the gypsy!"

Amy sighs slowly as they holler. She starts spinning around, her skirt flying as she shakes her hips. This was humiliating.

"Boy, this Hidden City weather, am I right? Speaking of which, what's the deal with portal jacking? Anybody done any of that lately?" Leo asks curiously, figuring he could just ease into it.

"That hits too close to home!" One of them narrows his eyes suspiciously.

"I'm starting to think these three are not a polished ventriloquist and dance act," Another one narrows his eyes as they surround them, pointing their swords.

"Hueso!"

The bone man's eyes widen at the voice, looking up. The two follow his gaze as someone jumps down to them.

"Piel!"

Captain Piel is a pirate captain...made of skin. Amy has to hold in her vomit at the sight of him. "Tis Captain Piel to you!"

"Ew," Leo comments at the sight of him. Since Piel means skin in Spanish, Amy thought the name suited him.

"Be careful, my crew," Captain Piel warns them. "It is the most wonderful pirate in the Hidden City!" His skin arm drops as the others laugh.

"Wait a sec, you were a pirate?!" Leo turns to Senor Hueso in shock. "Dude, you're killing it today!"

"Hueso, is there anything else we should know?" Amy crosses her arms. Seriously, this was the second time that his past has gotten them into trouble today.

"I was never a pirate!" Senor Hueso says sharply. "He tricked me into going on one mission, and I am forever branded a criminal in the Hidden City!"

"You are such a coward!" Captain Piel replies, "You ran away from basic plundering! You should've hear his bones rattle!"

"I was a child!" Senor Hueso retorts back with a glare. "But I fear you know more, hermano."

"Oh ho ho ho," Captain Piel holds up his sword. They clash swords together, glaring.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa," Leo steps up. "Hermano? You guys are..."

"Yes. We are brothers," Senor Hueso finishes for him.

"Ohh, I get it. Hueso, bone. Piel, skin. Skin and bones, with literal skin and bones," Amy gestures to them.

"One last chance, Piel. Leave this life and we can be brothers again!"

"You know the old saying. Skin and bones do not mix!" Piel replies back, Amy rolling her eyes. They jump a few feet back, Piel stretching his arm to Hueso. They continue their fight, with Piel just laughing. He knocks Hueso's sword out of his hand, but he backflips, sliding to a stop. He looks up as Piel smacks him in the face with his arm, kicking him. Hueso eventually lands on the planks, looking up to see Piel advancing towards him. He yells, opening up his jacket and letting his bones attack Piel.

"Okay, maybe you're better off without your brother," Leo says to Senor Hueso, "But I'm still gonna get mine."

"And I'm with ya!" Amy appears next to him. They high three and are about to go through a door, but the crew block their way. They swing their swords at him, but they duck each one, fighting back with their weapons. Eventually, they back away onto a plank, trying not to fall. Leo grabs Amy and throws her out of the way. She gasps as she looks up and he nods, silently telling her that he'd deal with them himself.

"Looks like you're done, matey."

"Oh?" Leo smirks smugly. "Not if I portal you to the Hidden City Police!"

"Leo, I don't think you-"

"Pepino, this has never worked!" Hueso calls out and they just stare as he opens a portal into the air. Everything from the ship lifts into the air, and suddenly, the three brothers land on the ship, wearing leis. Raph has a Hawaiian shirt, Mikey has sunglasses, and Donnie has a hat.

"Guys!" Amy exclaims in shock.

"Whoa, where'd you guys come from?" Leo asks in surprise. "I mean, hey! Check it out! I freed you from your pirate prison, you're welcome!"

"Pirate prison?" Raph asks in confusion, rubbing his neck as he stands up.

"You portaled us to Tahiti!" Mikey glares, angry that they were back.

"The sewers there are fabulous!" Donnie grins, holding up a flag. Leo and Amy jump over to them.

"Come on, come on. Help us fight these guys."

"No!" Mikey denies like a child. "I want a refill on my coconut!"

"Take us back to Tahiti," Raph glares down at them.

"More Tahiti!" Donnie shakes Leo.

"Hey, we thought you guys were gone forever!" Amy shouts at them and they recoil back from her outburst. "Don't you dare demand something out of us when we were concerned about you! Ungrateful!"

"It _would_ get us out of this," Leo thinks about the demand. "Okay! Tahiti, here we come!" He makes another portal, all of them staring in shock. While Piel is distracted, Hueso throws him inside the portal. There's a flash and the three brothers open their eyes to see they're still on the ship, but all of the crew, including Captain Piel, are gone.

"Oh, is this Tahiti?" Donnie asks sarcastically. "Well, allow me to make a sand angel in this lovely soft wooden sand," And he does just that. "Ouch."

"Okay, not what I meant to do, but I got rid of the pirates!" Leo says with a grin. Another horn blasts and they look up to see the Police blimp.

"You sure did!"

"Huh?" Mikey asks in confusion.

"Uh, we were, uh, bravely surveilling the situation and we saw what happened. You're a hero, Hueso!"

"Then I am off the most wanted list?" Hueso asks hopefully.

"Well, you are now!"

Hueso gasps happily, putting an arm around Amy and Leo. "Gracias, pepino and senorita." He fists bumps them.

"No problem, bone man."

"I'll get started on those mantecados right away!" Amy winks at him.

"What do you suppose has become of my brother?" He asks curiously, wondering where they went.

"Oh, I guarantee I sent them to the worst place possible," Leo grins smugly.

"And what is the deal with plundering?" Captain Piel asks, using a puppet. Leo sent them to Tahiti...

At least he got one destination right.

"...Leo?"

"Hm?"

"...Why did you risk my life for me?" Amy whispers to him. "You didn't have to do that...I can take care of myself."

"I know," He closes his eyes. "But everyone should have a say on who lives."

She puts a fist to her chin as she thinks about that. It's true that people should choose if they live or if they die. It was their choice, and it shows what they would want to do with their lives.

"So I believe...that if you left this world...let's just say the world would miss out on you," Leo winks and she blushes, her heart slightly racing. She puts a fist to her heart as she registers his confession. He...thought that she was worth something...that she was worth saving.

Sometimes he wonders why he keeps pursuing her. Sometimes he wonders if he should just give up on her.

"...Well then. I guess all I can say is thank you," She closes her eyes, slightly smiling. "For everything." She kisses him on the cheek and his eyes widen at the soft contact. The three turtles look to her and then at Leo in shock of what she just did. Senor Hueso smirks in amusement. "You really are something, Leo." She giggles at him, leaving the turtle in his daze. He smiles smugly as she jumps off the ship, the three brothers reluctantly following.

 _I guess Senor Hueso's not the only one full of surprises huh, my lady?_

Usually he remembers that he has her as a friend and that was something he was willing to put up with until he could tell her his feelings.

* * *

"Do you have to go back?" Mikey cries as he's holding Amy's legs. It was time for the girl to go back home. She's holding her duffel bag at the entrance of the lair. She looks down at him almost fondly.

"Mikey, someone has to be there. And my business needs me."

"She has to go back," Raph reminds Mikey. "We always knew it was temporary."

"It won't be the same," Leo frowns as Raph peels Mikey off the girl. He wished she could stay forever...

"I'm inclined to agree," Donnie comments while looking at his phone. Amy rolls her eyes at him.

"Bye guys. I'll see you soon..." She says, trying to hide her sadness. She didn't really want to leave, but she has a responsibility to her bakery, and to her mother. She couldn't just neglect them forever...

She slowly walks away, Leo suppressing a smile. He knows that she'll come back...

Whether or not unharmed would be up to her.

* * *

Amy smiles at the restored bakery that's right in front of her. The one she worked so hard on for the past five years. The one where she was spending her time to help her mother...the one where all her friends come and hang out.

This time, she has a double oven! She grins in excitement. Now she can get things done. She didn't even think it was possible, but since the previously-smart brothers did it...it didn't seem so impossible.

They also did work so that her office is more private and that her things are more organized. She would tell them that they did it...but they were better off not knowing that detail.

A knock interrupts her thoughts and she turns to a man standing outside. She can tell he came from the flower shop because he's holding a few bouquets of stargazer lilies. She raises a brow, turning to all the dead flowers on her tables. She didn't put in an order recently...though she should've.

She opens the door slowly and the man smiles happily. "Amelia Smith? Are you her?"

"Yes, that's me. Can I help you?" She tilts her head in confusion.

"Great! I'm from Square Bouquets, in Time Square? I have a delivery for you! Oh, and to do this," He pulls out a silver harmonica and starts playing it. "We're so happy you're on the team...working with you is like a dream...take these flowers as our way...to say you're fantastic today~!"

She laughs at the corny rhyme, suddenly feeling flattered. "Heh. Well, thank you...? But can you tell me who sent them?"

"Oh, right!" He puts the flowers down onto the counter. "Sent by a Leon, but it was paid for by a Senor Hueso..."

She should've known that he was the only one who'd come up with a dumb rhyme like that. It didn't feel dumb, though. Not at all. But she was surprised that he managed to get Senor Hueso to pay for this...

She waves to the man as he's leaving, smiling at the new bouquets for the table. Of course he knew that stargazer lilies were her favorite, he's been here too many times to count. But to actually replace them...

Well, she didn't think he'd do that. And she finds it to be the sweetest thing anyone's done for her.

Not to mention the message wasn't too bad to hear. Actually, it was kinda catchy.

She steps out the back, wearing a pink coat over her. The brunette just had a feeling he'd be around to see her reaction. Upon seeing his silhouette, she smirks.

"Really? The rhyme? The gesture was enough."

He chuckles and Leo steps out of the shadows. "Well, I wasn't lying, my lady."

"I know. You don't have it in you, anyway...but thank you Leo. For the flowers and the rhyme. I really needed to hear that."

"Of course, senorita. I'll tell you everyday if you want me to," He gives a playful wink and she scoffs.

"File that into things that are never gonna happen..." She looks around to make sure no one is spying on them and she hugs him. He looks down at her in surprise as her eyes are closed in happiness. He smiles and hugs her back. They stay like that for a while in each other's embrace before Amy lets go.

"Come on in," She offers, gesturing to the door. "I'll make pizza bagels."

"PIZZA BAGELS!" He cheers, pumping his fists. "Should I invite my bros?"

"After the way they didn't thank us?" Amy scoffs in disbelief at the memory. "No way."

Leo just shrugs and they both step inside to enjoy the rest of the night.


	30. Warren and Hypno, Sitting in a Tree

**Angel: So...this episode happened. Apparently, the reason they removed the previous airdate (it was supposed to air back in April) and premiered it on Nicktoons only so far is because of Warren and Hypno's 'relationship.' If you haven't watched it, you'll see what I mean. Luckily, I dug around and found it on Vimeo. I haven't found Operation: Normal yet, since that aired only yesterday. I have read that that episode was also dumped on Nicktoons because of a gay relationship, but I haven't seen any truth to that statement. For those of you who don't have Nicktoons like me, just look up the episode's name and it should be easy to find.**

 **Are they gonna air it on Nick for other people to see? Maybe not, but if The Loud House can have a gay couple, then I'm sure this episode will get released eventually on Nick. It's definitely not the first time TMNT has hinted at LGBT relationships, just look at the IDW comics and Harley Quinn XD. Don't know when I'll post Operation: Normal, hopefully I find it soon.**

Inside the Turtle Tank, everyone including April is inside as today was a special day...

Well, to most people.

The inside is decorated for someone's birthday.

"I don't know why you are even bothering," April tells them. "I told you guys my birthdays are always a disaster. It's cursed!"

"Cursed smursed," Leo waves it off. "We're gonna birthday so hard, you're gonna need a permission slip!"

"I'm just lucky my birthday hasn't passed. Who knows what they'll do?" Amy jerks a thumb to the boys.

"At least I have my female bestie~" April throws an arm around her. "You're the Shakira to my Beyonce!"

"What?" Amy laughs, pushing her away. "Well, my hips don't lie," She jokes, dancing around Leo. He sighs happily at the sight.

Suddenly an air conditioner comes out of nowhere and hits the front of the ship, causing them to jump in the air slightly.

"What was that?" April asks in confusion. Amy, Raph, and Mikey go out to see the air conditioner lodged into the front of the Turtle Tank. Raph screams in horror and Amy looks up to see a hole the same size as the air conditioner.

"Who just threw that?!"

"Oh," A certain mutant looks at the cannon. "Guess the cannon works. Power level good. Aim...needs work," Hypno-Potamus says to his roommate and magic assistant, Warren Stone. He's inside the cannon.

"You sure it's safe for my hair to shoot me out of this thing?" The worm asks skeptically.

"Of course!" Hypno smiles nervously. "Magician's assistants have been shot out of cannons for years!" Given Warren's lack of experience, he had no idea of how this was gonna go. "But if you're concerned, we could go back to sawing you in ten!"

"News flash, you actually sawed me into tiny pieces! It's incredibly painful!" Warren clutches his heart at the memory.

"What, you don't think it's painful to me cutting you up?! I'm a mutant, not a monster!" Ever since they met while being in the Evil League of Mutants, they found that they had a lot in common and decided to move in together. The door suddenly knocks and they stare at it nervously. "They've found us."

The door pounds and Warren's eyes widen in horror. No, no, they could do this. "Play it cool," He narrows his eyes.

"Hard to do without an air conditioner," Hypno smirks at his joke.

"Nailed it," Warren holds out his arm that's still attached to the gauntlet he found.

"Ah, it was a great setup."

The door is eventually busted open.

"Okay, give it to me straight," Donnie says from inside, sighing. "How bad is the damage?"

They all cringe as a part of the air conditioner falls onto the road. "Oh, it's, uh, not that bad," Raph smiles nervously as he gestures to it.

"Oh, it's real bad," Mikey calls out, holding his head. "Real, real, real, real, real, real bad!"

Amy slaps him on the head. "Ow! What?"

"You don't tell him that!" Amy gestures to inside and April smirks smugly.

"See, I told you my birthday was cursed," She calls out knowingly.

"Oh come on, relax," Leo holds up his hands, Donnie staring only in horror at his baby being broken... "This is just a mini bump in the road. A hiccup. There's no way this night gets worse."

An explosion happens in the apartment above them and out comes the two roomies, landing on the car roughly.

"What was that?!" Donnie exclaims, Leo and April looking at something else rather than paying attention. Warren holds his head with a groan as he looks up, seeing the silhouette of the person after them.

Baron Draxum.

"Your gauntlet will be mine, worm man!" He declares with a sneer. Huginn and Muninn jump out of the way as Warren uses the gauntlet to fire a laser.

"Breaking news, the gauntlet stays with me!" He declares and fires again. Baron Draxum jumps onto the ground, sliding past the lasers using his own powers.

"Enough of this!" Baron spins around and fires brick projectiles at Warren. He dodges, jumping all over the roof of the Turtle Tank. He looks up as a large brick is headed right towards him.

"Alakaboom!" A razor ring suddenly slices it in half and flowers fall around Warren. He turns back to see Hypno.

"Take that, ya horn-headed freak!" Warren shouts as Baron Draxum slips past them, landing in front of the two turtles and Amy.

"Oh, my turtles and Amelia. How very not nice to see you!" Vines suddenly appear and Amy grits her teeth.

"The feeling's mutual, you psychopath!" She thrusts her arms forward, zapping a few vines in half as Raph pushes Mikey out of the way. They crawl up to the villain duo, who dodges as best as they can. Mikey, Amy, and Raph just stare at them.

"April's birthday really is cursed..." He murmurs to them.

"We can _not_ let her see this," Mikey gestures to the fight.

"Mikey has a point. She'll just become more convinced that her birthday is something to dread," Amy turns around to them.

"Yeah, we gotta get out of here," Raph tells them and they jump into the Turtle Tank, surprising the others and making them fall out of their seats. "Quick, uh, we just need to take care of this tiny, little non-threatening life situation. Then it's onto April's birthday fun! Prepare to fire some cool weapons!"

"Which ones?" Donnie asks, holding his fingers out to the buttons.

"All of them," Warren smiles wickedly and they stare at him as he's inside the Turtle Tank.

"Okay, who is that, and how'd he get in here?" Leo asks in confusion.

"I snuck in using your girlfriend's hair," Warren jerks a thumb at Amy.

Leo gasps sharply and Amy turns to him in horror. "What?"

"He called you my girlfriend!" Leo cheers and Amy towers over the worm.

"Let's get one thing straight, we," She points to herself and Leo. "Are not a couple. I can't even begin to tell you why we're not a thing. I don't need a guy." She was only faking horror so no one would suspect that she had any type of feelings for Leo. If she let it slip, they'd tease her to no end, especially Leo himself.

April sits up and gasps sharply, holding her cheeks. "Hold the phone!" She bumps Leo out of his seat. "You're Warren Stone! I recognize that hair anywhere!"

"Yes I am," Warren brags, running a hand through his hair. "Are you a Stonehead?"

"A what?" Amy blinks in confusion.

"That's what I call my fans," He says smugly.

"You have fans?" Amy snorts and he narrows his eyes in annoyance.

"Member since 2010!" April shows her member cards from the past years.

"Excellent! Now by the power invested in me by my own fan club, I'm deputizing you to get my hippo roomie back!" Warren points to Hypno back.

"Unbelievable," Amy mutters under her breath. She didn't know what was more crazy, the fact that April is a part of his fan club or that he and Hypno are roommates.

Hypno fires a razor ring, cutting a vine in half. He cuts another and takes the ring back. "Where's my roommate slash friend slash magical assistant?!"

"Surprise!" Muninn exclaims as he flies in front of the hippo mutant. "We don't have him. But they have them," He points to the Turtle Tank behind him. "Double surprise!"

"Get off my guzzle!" Donnie shouts as he and Warren are wrestling over the weapon controls.

"I'll save you, Warren!" Hypno cracks the window, knocking Donnie to the ground. Warren places a hand to the glass as he watches Hypno get captured. The vines wrap around the vehicle, lifting it into the air.

"NO!" Warren protests, breaking the controls with his gauntlet. "Give him back!" Suddenly he activates ntiro mode.

"No no!" Donnie shouts as they all cringe. The nitro rockets from the taxi activate, causing Hypno to look up as the Turtle Tank breaks free, speeding past them.

"WARREEEEN!" Hypno yells sadly.

"HYPNOOOOOOO!" Warren shouts as he looks back, tears in his eyes.

"WARREEEEN!" Hypno holds out a hand to him.

"HYPNOOOOOOO!" Warren tries to reach out to him, but Hypno misses his hand as they take off into the sky, all of them screaming their heads off as they suddenly disappear. Hypno sheds a few tears as Baron Draxum approaches him. His minions laugh and they take him away...

* * *

The turtles and the girls are now in the park. Mikey ties up Warren in his whip to a pole. "What is this thing do, and why does Draxum want it?" Mikey points to the gauntlet in his arm. "Hm? Hm?"

"I don't know," Warren answers truthfully. "But it's amazing! I call her Charlotte. She's like a toupee, but for your fist."

"Wait a minute," Amy examines it closer, recoiling back. "That's the same type of material from the Kuroi Yoroi!"

"The gauntlet is part of the dark armor," Donnie corrects as he spins his staff into his hands. "We cannot let Draxum have it."

"If he manages to get it, they'll be one step closer to having another step towards their goal," Amy crosses her arms.

"So, now to do some line removing of a thing attached to another thing," Donnie's staff turns into an assortment of dangerous medical tools.

"What the-Donnie!" Leo protests to him in shock. He glances at his shocked brothers that he's just gonna casually cut off an arm.

"It's fine, he regenerates, remember?" He reminds them.

"Uh...no," Leo answers in confusion and Donnie gets closer. April stands in the way.

"Stop! This is a sign. Maybe this is finally the year my birthday is awesome!" She answers optimistically.

"Because we've got a worm man tied to a pole?" Leo jerks a thumb to Warren. "You need to raise your standards."

"This is _my_ birthday and Warren Stone is the goat of news anchors! We gotta help him get his friend slash roomie slash it's complicated back from Baron Draxum. It's my birthday wish!" She places her hands on her hips.

The five groan at the last two words.

"You're invoking bday rights on _him_?" Leo points to Warren Stone.

"April, not the birthday wish card," Amy complains, dragging a hand down her face.

"He might be a villain, but so is Baron Sheepman. And the enemy of your enemy is-MONSTER!" She points to a monster that is made out of Baron's vines coming towards them. They let out a scream as he jumps towards them. Leo hugs Amy close, shielding her with his shell...and then falls apart right in front of them. A note is sticking out from its back. Leo pokes his foot at it while still hugging Amy.

"Is that a note from Draxum?" He asks in confusion. He glances down at Amy and she looks up at him. He grins widely at how close they are and she grunts, pushing him away. When no one's looking, a blush comes to her face. Leo immediately decided to risk himself if that thing was going to attack them...he didn't even think about it, he just acted...

"What, he couldn't send an email?" Donnie asks in disbelief.

"With all that technology in his lab, I'd like to think he has a computer," Amy rolls her eyes at the jump scare. Or maybe he's just so old that he doesn't know how to use one...

April takes the note and reads it. 'Give us the gauntlet or your kiwi friend becomes a smoothie. Let's not be tacky and avoid a violent exchang...ie. Love, Huginn and Muninn.'

"Guys, we gotta help him," April turns to the others.

"Hard pass," Raph immediately denies.

"April, Baron's the one who killed my family and made my mother mentally unstable. Who knows what he could do next?" Amy crosses her arms. "I don't want to lose another family member..." Hypno wasn't that bad compared to Draxum, but he's still a villain nonetheless. That'd be like if she gave up the bakery to Brit Worley.

They suddenly hear whimpering and turn around to Warren who has put on the puppy eyes. "Look, I know I'm a famous worm villain, but I need your help. When news fame left, so did everyone I knew. I was alone and I had nothing...until I met a magician turned hippo, and my life changed. For my birthday, he baked a tiny cake, and then magically jumped out of it! He almost crushed me when he slipped on frosting. He's my brother...he's my-"

"Fine!" Raph interrupts and Warren blinks through his tears. "Alright. Please, stop. We'll get your roomie back..." Everyone except Donnie is crying.

"Huh?" Amy feels her face at the tears and slaps herself out of it. "Why am I crying over a lonely worm? I don't do that."

"That's because you're a tttttttttttttttttsundere," Leo hisses the T, poking at her face.

"Am I supposed to understand what that means?" She deadpans at him.

"By the way..." Warren Stone rubs his chin as he stares at them. "Are you two a thing or not? I was hoping I'd find someone else who'd understand."

"Huh?!" Amy blushes beet red at the question, everyone except Leo laughing at the thought.

"No way. They're like apples and oranges," Mikey waves it off.

"A turtle and a girl."

"Peanut butter and mayo."

"Cakes and pi-"

"Okay, I think we get it," Leo laughs nervously as he interrupts them, frowning to himself. He didn't need a reminder on how different he and Amy were...but he wasn't going to lose hope. He'd keep trying until he got her attention. She needed a shoulder to cry on; and he was that shoulder.

"So that's a no?" Warren raises an eyebrow at them.

"Yes, it's a no," Amy laughs awkwardly. Luckily she was good at keeping things secret, like her...crush on Leo. "To both that and to your request."

"Oh come on," Leo steps up to her. "Just look at him. He wouldn't be asking us if he wasn't desperate."

"Sorry, but I don't associate myself with helping evil mutants," Amy waves it off and is about to jump onto her bike. "Besides, it's obviously a trap. He worked with Baron Draxum in that Evil Club of Mutants to try and take us down."

"Don't you know what it feels like to be loved?" Warren asks, sniffling and she pauses, looking away. "To have someone appreciate you and think of your needs? Please...help!"

Amy bites her lip at his pleading voice. She _used_ to know how that felt before her family passed away. And sometimes she felt that with Leo...he takes time to talk to her, to make sure she's okay, and...put a smile on her face. She deserved it, and at some level...

Warren did too.

She groans at what she's about to do and turns her bike around, coming to a stop between them. "Fine. But let's get one thing straight, worm man. I'm doing this only for April, and not because I actually care," She points to him.

"Yes!" Warren cheers regardless of what she said and Mikey releases him.

"Thanks, Amy," April hugs her.

"Yeah, yeah, get on before I change my mind," Amy jerks a thumb to the sidecars.

* * *

At the docks, Warren alone approaches Baron Draxum. Hypno is tied up and gagged next to him. Hypno looks up at him, happy, but also concerned. In the shadows, the others sneak past on the railings.

"Tonight's top story: I'm here to make your trade, Draxum," Warren points at him dramatically. While he's distracting them, the others are waiting up above so that they could ambush the warrior scientist.

"Good..." Leo zips down to him via rope. "Now hand over the gauntlet."

"You can't!" Hypno shouts at him in a muffled voice.

"I love you too," Warren places a hand to his heart, eyes shining. He looks at the gauntlet, rubbing it fondly. "We could do that, or...I could make you an even sweeter offer."

"Oh, like what?" Huginn asks excitedly.

"A lifetime supply of gum?" Muninn smiles at the thought.

"No! How about your mutant loser turtles and the girl? I brought them right here," Warren points up to the group, who were hanging from the ceiling.

"Wait, did he just give us up?" Donnie asks in confusion and Warren fires lasers, knocking them onto the ground.

"Betrayal!" Leo exclaims before Baron traps them into a cage. "I feel like we should've seen that coming."

"Uh, yeah! I did!" Amy shouts into his face in anger.

"How could you do this?!" April lifts her head up. "And on my birthday?! I was the Vice President of the Stoneheads!" She opens up her jacket to show her Vice President shirt. Warren blows away the smoke from his gauntlet.

"He thanks you for your service," He simply says. Baron Draxum laughs at this new deal, crossing his arms.

"You drive a hard bargain...but, it's a deal," He smiles evilly. "Free him."

His minions rip off the tape and push Hypno to Warren. Warren crawls onto his shoulder and hugs him. "Tonight's headline: Best friends reunited and it feels-"

"I'm so sorry," Hypno interrupts him, looking away. "It was the only way he'd let you live," He takes Warren into his hands, confusing the worm. "Oh, Mezmer-roooo..." He reluctantly puts Warren into a daze. "Now give him the gauntlet, my golden-voiced amigo..."

Warren crawls past the group. "Oh ho ho man, a double betrayal. Did not see that coming," Leo comments as they can only watch. Amy tries firing some electric bolts, but they don't work as they're absorbed into the vines.

"Great. We're stuck and Baron's gonna get what he wanted after all," She grunts at Warren.

"You get the gauntlet, and the turtles and Baby Blue's girlfriend, and Warren lives," Hypno starts off, Leo gasping sharply. "That was our deal, right?"

"Second time today! I am loving this!" Leo cheers and Amy glares at the villains.

"I am not-" She grunts as her blood boils in annoyance. Anyway, it was time to change the subject, no matter how much it _didn't_ annoy her to be called that.

Baron Draxum holds Warren in a bubble prison of sorts. "Yeah, no, I lied," He holds out his hand as vines grab Hypno and lift him up into the air.

"Triple betrayal! Everybody is on fire tonight!" Leo looks away with a smirk and they're suddenly lifted into the air.

"But you said...you promised!" Hypno glares at him.

"Only a true genius could choregraph this many betrayals and double crosses," Baron Draxum brags, smirking at Amy. "And getting rid of your family was just the tip of the iceberg."

She growls as she grits her teeth, taking a deep breath. She'd get a chance to kick his arrogant butt another time, and when she did, she'd finally avenge them all.

"It was a total team effort," Muninn chimes in.

"I am blushing," Huginn holds his cheeks bashfully.

"I was talking about me, you idiots!" He snaps at him. "Now, time to some light removing one thing attached to another thing," He laid down Warren in front of him and Amy glances back at Donnie and then at the sheep mutant.

 _Déjà vu..._

Hypno struggles to break free and he moves his razor blades so that they cut through the vines.

"Classic April O'Neil birthday. Trapped in a cage, betrayed by my idol, and facing certain doom..." April looks down sadly.

"Look on the bright side. We're trapped in a cage, having been betrayed by your idol, facing certain doom...together," Raph tells her gently, to which no one says anything, his brothers and Amy glaring at him. "Hey, I'm trying my best here!"

"This is why I'm here," Amy gestures to herself. "Move over," She moves past Donnie, sitting next to April. She awkwardly places a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you might've been through a lot of...bad birthdays, but some good luck will come around. I think it's only gonna get better and...well, you're the Beyonce to my Shakira."

"Aww!" April exclaims, engulfing Amy into a tight hug. "Thanks girl."

Amy chuckles, patting April on the back. Suddenly razor rings start cutting through the vines and a cannon explodes, revealing nothing.

"Tada!" Raph and Mikey glance to each other in confusion. "Wait, almost there, a little higher, to the right." He's being flown by doves hanging onto his jacket. "Hold on, and...yep, you're there. Allow me to help."

"Okay cowboy," Donnie pushes down Raph's head. "I don't know what kind of double-triple betrayal you've got planned, but we're not interested."

"Yeah, I've had enough betraying for today, so back off," Amy narrows her eyes at him.

"I have nothing up my sleeve, I promise." Cards literally fly out of his sleeve and hit Donnie's face. Amy gets a bouquet of flowers bursting into her face. Hypno stops both and they glance away, signaling that they want nothing to do with him. "Please, you must save Warren. Look, I-I'm a terrible roomie, I cheat on the chore chart, he pretends not to notice, but he does, I know he does..."

April looks at him and then at Warren. Despite of what he did, he was still her idol, and it was probably the only way they were gonna get out of this situation.

"I just can't quit you, Warren Stone," She smiles fondly at him.

"To be clear," Raph points a finger at Hypno. "We're doing this for April, because it's her birthday."

"Same here, and if this ends up being another trick, I'll kick your butt so hard Warren won't even recognize you," Amy crosses her arms and he pales, knowing that she's the strongest out of the team.

"Y-Yes ma'am."

Baron makes a saw out of vines, inching it towards Warren. A razor ring prevents him from using it, breaking it into pieces. He growls at the interference and looks up to see Hypno, the others free as they surround him.

"Step away from my roomie!" Hypno threatens, Baron staring in shock, wondering how they got free. Leo and Amy grab Warren from behind, running off.

"We got him, we got him, let's go!"

They're suddenly pulled back and Raph grabs onto their legs. Baron is holding onto the gauntlet from the other side as they stretch the worm in two different directions.

"Little help here?" Leo asks while struggling and the others each put a hand on their legs, pulling the two back. It's a tug of war between them and Baron. Warren suddenly snaps out of his hypnosis, screaming in pain.

"We can't stretch him any further!" Raph says and April slices off the other arm.

"April O'Neil," She whispers proudly as she's holding the razor ring. The force of the wind knocks them all to the ground. Hypno looks around for Warren and finds him on his head, grabbing him happily. He hugs the worm in relief, Raph looking up to see Baron holding the gauntlet.

"Finally another piece of the dark armor," A portal appears in front of him as he removes the now tiny leg. "Ew, gross."

"New victory dance," Muninn chimes in as the two minions fly over to him.

"With extra butt action!" Huginn slaps his butt and Amy groans, dragging a hand down her face.

"Great...there goes the gauntlet and any chance of defeating him..."

April sighs in relief, wiping the sweat off her forehead. Hypno puts an arm around her.

"How'd you know that old trick?"

"What old trick?" She asks in confusion and Warren screams in pain at his lost arm. A little stubby hand appears suddenly.

"I'm fine," He says and then realizes his gauntlet is gone. "Charlotte! My power! You've made a grave mistake," He points at April. "You are on my list!"

"It was you or the gauntlet," She smiles softly at him. "And to some, well, you're kind of a big deal."

"I will haunt your dreams," He threatens her.

"Not if I do it first," Amy places her hands on her hips and he recoils back in fear. Hypno nuzzles his cheek.

"That's my Warren! Oh, it's good to have you back, roomie slash magical assistant slash friend." He kisses Warren on the cheek. "Doves!" Flowers explode around him and they appear, gripping onto his jacket. "Let's go make fun of game show contestants on TV!"

"April," Raph puts a hand on her shoulder. "So, bout your birthday...heh...we're really sorry we weren't the one to break the curse, and..."

"Happy Birthday!" Donnie holds out Warren's cut off arm with a big smile.

"Uh..." She stares at the arm and jumps into the air. "Best Birthday ever!"

"Well, birthday girl, I've got some cake waiting for you back at the shop," Amy gestures to her bike. "Still up for it?"

"Cake cake cake cake!" They all exclaim as the sidecars appear. Leo stares at her as she's about to get on.

"Hey, Amy? That was a nice thing you did, agreeing to help out worm guy," He smiles a bit and she pauses, turning to look at him. She smiles back.

"Well...I guess way deep down, I figured to help the little guy out...and not because I'm a tsundere," She points to him with a stubborn look.

"Oh, you are totally a tsundere," Raph agrees as Leo jumps onto the upper left sidecar.

"Yeah well I had time to look it up, and I am not a warm or friendly person deep down," She rolls her eyes.

"That's exactly what a tsundere would say!" Mikey exclaims as she turns right.

"Okay, everyone who thinks Amy is a totally tsundere, say aye," Donnie says with a smirk.

"Aye."

"And everyone who thinks Amy can be my girlfriend, say aye," Leo calls out.

"Nay."

"The ayes have it, Mellie. You're totally a tsundere," Raph pokes her cheek and she groans in defeat, slamming her helmet against the front of the bike. If she kept denying it, they'll just insist on it no matter what she does or says, so she'll let it slide...

For now.


	31. Operation: Normal

**Angel: I don't know when other episodes will premiere, but The Purple Gang and Man Vs. Sewer are still on the wiki page listed as episodes. What I do know, is that if you want to read the end of Sparring Partner, you guys can go and read it now since this is episode 31. Also, like I said in the previous episode, this one was pushed back from airing and got dumped on Nicktoons because of a gay relationship reference issue...I don't see what that has to do with this episode since there's nothing like that here unlike Warren and Hypno, Sitting in a Tree...maybe it's like that Angry Beavers thing where they were freaking out about cancellation and that episode was never animated, thus taking the unrelated second episode with it. Who knows?**

 **I don't know when the next update will be since we haven't gotten any new episode titles, so once again, I am on hiatus. In the meantime, I'll be working on TMNT 2007. See you whenever XD**

In the mutant pizza place at the Hidden City, April, Amy, Leo, and Donnie are sharing a booth. April cringes at the pizza presented to them. There's wiggling worms on top of the dish with only one eye each.

"Nom, nom, nom!" They repeat and April stares at it in confusion.

"Is that pizza looking at me?" April asks Amy, who shrugs.

"Who's to say what they're really looking at?"

"Eat! Eat!"

"Uh, guys? Could we maybe just order cheese?" She smiles at them nervously.

"What, you mean not get super creepy supreme?" Donnie asks, holding up a slice with a worm on it.

"I wish, just once, we could go to a normal pizza parlor," April sighs under her breath. Sometimes she just needed a break from weird things...do stuff that normal people do, like go to the movies, a sports game, or a _normal_ pizza place where there's no hint of evil.

"But you know we can't go to human places with, uh, this whole situation," Leo gestures to his face.

"You go to Amy's place all the time!" April retorts back to him.

"Yeah, usually after closing," Amy gestures to them. "If they show up during work, I usually take a break and meet them outside."

"Embrace it, April. You're a magnet for weirdness," Leo grins, shrugging.

"I know, it's just...sometimes a girl just needs normal," She cringes as she sees the two turtles eating the pizza.

"What do you mean, what's not normal about this?" Donnie asks in a muffled voice, a worm flying towards Amy. She ducks and it hits the wall.

"Dude. Your mouth is full of worms. I'm sitting near you," Amy points to the table, wagging a finger. "Uh uh."

"Okay, birthday boy! Get ready to par...tay!" Exploding Frankie, a slime yokai, explodes into smile, spraying everyone and everything around him. Donnie, Amy, and Leo had put up their menus to avoid getting hit with it.

"Oh, Exploding Frankie never gets old," He comments and they stare at April, who's covered in slime. It drips onto her body.

"I'm going to class," She mumbles, standing up and leaving. As she's walking, a piece of slime falls off her shoe, forming back into Exploding Frankie. However, his left eye is missing.

"Hey, anybody seen my eye?" He looks around for it.

"Oh! I'm supposed to re-open the store!" Amy stands up, grabbing her purse. She waves to the turtles. "Bye."

"Bye..." Leo sighs sadly, Donnie looking between him and her.

"Stop sulking, bro. It's never gonna happen."

"Never say never, Donnie!" Leo stands up in determination. "I know I'll get there one day. It's just a matter of time!"

"Uh huh," Donnie replies casually as he stares at his phone. Leo gives him a blank look.

* * *

The school bell rings and April comes in a second later, panting. "So, everyone has their lab partners."

"No!" April groans as she goes to her desk. "I'm a partner-less freak!"

"Miss O'Neil, this is science. We leave emotions at the door. You and Amy can partner with our new student."

She looks up as the crowd is surrounding someone. Amy rolls into the room and stares at them. She's standing behind the counter of her bakery as she's finishing up some cupcakes.

"Please be normal, please be normal, please be normal," April whispers hopefully. It's a Hawaiian teenage girl with short black hair, thick brown eyebrows, thick eyelashes and black eyes. She also has a gold piercing on the left side of her nose and bright pink lipstick. She wears a mahogany headband, a long-sleeved light pink blouse, a magenta dress with a dark mahogany ruffle, white kitten socks, and a pair of silver boots. She also has an amulet that is slime green with a three-pointed gold frame.

"Aloha!" She greets cheerfully, both girls blinking at her. "It means both hello and goodbye," She explains as she shakes April's hand. "This time I'm using it as hello. I'm Sunita. Sorry, was that weird?"

"No, I've seen weird, and that is not it...besides her," April jerks a thumb at Amy.

"Hey," She waves briefly, going back to decorating one-handed while controlling the robot in her other hand.

"Uh..." Sunita blinks at her.

"Oh, that's Amy. She can't attend school physically because she runs her own business. And I'm April," April explains to the new girl.

"Well, nice to meet you, Amy," Sunita waves at the screen. "I love those cupcakes."

Amy gasps as she turns to her, hands on her cheeks. She didn't know why, but Sunita complimenting her made her felt appreciated today. "Thanks! It's pink buttercream."

"Open your books to page 143, and please, let's be adults about these gruesome photos of human anatomy," The teacher tells them. Sunita holds out the page to the girls, which is literally the inside of a human body mapped out.

"Cool..." Sunita smiles at them.

"Cool..." April comments slowly.

"Ugh, man, I hate anatomy. It always grosses me out when I'm trying to bake," Amy comments in disgust, putting sprinkles over the cupcakes.

"Oops, you've got a little goo-goo shmuch on you," Sunita notices the slime on April's shoulder from the pizza place. She flicks it off and it lands on the floor, starting to move.

"Psst, April," Amy calls out as the screen looks down. Sunita looks at the book in awe. April gasps sharply, realizing it must've came from Exploding Frankie. She dives to it and wipes it off as quickly as she can.

"Is everything okay?" Sunita peeks over her shoulder.

"Yup! All normal here," April turns to her with a grin. "Nice boots, by the way."

"Really?" Amy's screen can only see the heads of people, so she has to tilt the screen to look anywhere else. She tilts it down. "Oh, those are nice boots."

"Hey, what's your numbers? We should all hang out sometime," Sunita puts a finger to her cheek.

"Yes, we should," April smiles at the mention of doing anything normal. "That'd be totally normal. I mean, totally. So yeah, let's exchange numbers."

"You two go on ahead. Normal is overrated," Amy shrugs at them. "I'm too busy to do anything normal, anyway."

"Aww," Sunita pouts at her.

"I'll still give you my number though. Maybe you can call me sometime," Amy presses a button and her number appears on the screen over a black background.

* * *

April is walking over to Amy's shop to pick up something sweet as she's texting Sunita. She waits for a reply until Leo suddenly pops out of the trash, scaring her. Amy opens the back door and rolls her eyes at him.

"April, you gotta come. Mikey found some invisible paint, we're gonna put it on Dad's tail."

April laughs at the thought, Amy hiding her mouth to stifle a laugh. "I love you guys, and def send me pics, but now that school's over, I'm just gonna chill and have a nice normal day."

Donnie slides down from the fire escape, hanging by the ladder upside down. "Scoff. Are you really still on this whole 'I want things to be normal' gig?" Donnie uses air quotes.

"Uh, what were these for?" She uses air quotes on him defensively. "I am normal."

 _April flew around Kendra on a jet pack._

 _She jumped towards the cage Mayhem was trapped in, knawing at the vines. Huginn and Munnin grabbed her._

 _She hollered as she wore a hazmat suit, sailing into the sewers with Amy as they were holding soup for their sick friends._

"Yes, what big city girl doesn't have a kayak and hazmat suit?" Donnie asks with a smug grin.

"Look, guys," April facepalms at the memories. "Just because I love the bonkers, doesn't mean I don't want normal sometimes too. Amy, how do you do it?"

"I don't _do_ anything," Amy shakes her head. "April, my life has never been normal, and I don't want things to be normal...they never can be, anyway. It took me years to accept my family wasn't coming back. And with all of that, I had to deal with the consequences, including times like this."

April glances away awkwardly as she suddenly remembers Amy's mother.

"I mean, you can try, but it'll be easier for everyone involved if you just admit you're a totally weirdo magnet," Leo places a hand on his cheek.

"He's got a point. Just look at what happened when we tried to return a DVD," Amy snorts, leaning against the back door.

"I've got non-weirdo friends, like Amy and our new friend Sunira...S-Sunira..." She looks at her phone. "Sunita, who I'm texting to see if she wants to hang out later! And she does! Ha, in your face!""

"Whoa, hey, don't bring me into this," Amy gestures to herself. "I thought we established that I'm not normal. Uh, hello?" She holds out her hand, electricity coming from it.

"Heh heh heh," April snickers, dancing while walking away. She then peeks around the corner. "Amy, I'll take an éclair to go."

"Do you want a coffee to go with that too?" Amy asks in amusement.

"Nah, I'm good."

"One éclair coming up, hold the coffee. Meet me inside," Amy jerks a thumb to inside the building.

"Do you think April could really have a normal day?" Leo asks Donnie and Amy.

"Short answer? No. Long answer, noooooooooo," Donnie drags out the word.

"More like impossible. I don't go by a day without you or Chewbacon doing something," Amy rolls her eyes.

Leo lifts himself up out of the trash can. "Then it's up to her three totally-not-weirdo friends to make this happen."

Donnie suddenly falls from the ladder. "Ah!"

"Amy, you still have that costume chest, right?" Leo turns to her.

"You mean the one Mikey insisted I have when I moved out?" Amy crosses her arms at the thought. Leo grins at her widely and her eyes widen in realization, groaning. "Oh no..."

"Makeover!" He sings, dragging her inside the shop.

"I have to get April her éclair first!" She protests to him.

"Still here," Donnie calls out from the ground, holding up a finger.

* * *

April and Sunita take selfies together at the park. Donnie has a yellow bandana over his head, wearing a purple jacket, light blue shirt, and purple skirt. Leo pops out of the bushes, wearing a blue dress, pink scarf over his neck, a pearl necklace, and a grey wig. He's also wearing purple eyeshadow. Amy is wearing a pink dress, blue scarf, and has a blue bandana over her hair to cover it. She's wearing horn-rimmed glasses over her eyes.

"Why do you always make us dress up as old ladies?" He asks, adjusting the wig.

"Number one, comfort. Number two, to blend in as we monitor April's day for max normalcy," Donnie looks through the goggles.

"I don't know why I agreed to this," Amy pinches her nose.

"Because you love us~" Leo leans in towards her and pushes his face away.

"Why'd you need to stuff your chests?" She gestures to them.

"At least we stand out since you have a flat butt," Donnie shrugs and she grits her teeth at him.

"Thanks for showing me around!" Sunita dances around. "New York is a-mazing! They took all the charm of the sidewalk, and made it higher! So cool!"

"Ha!" April laughs at her. "You should've been up here when we were fighting Meat Sweats!"

"Huh?" Sunita asks in confusion and April realizes what she just said. This was supposed to be normal. Meat Sweats did not equal normal.

"I mean, uh...fighting the sweats I get when eating too much pork," April rubs her neck, her eyes widening. "That's not any better, is it...?"

"How's she doing, Hortense?" Leo is peeking over Donnie's head.

"She almost blew it, Patty," Donnie then notices Sunita's boots. "Oh, fabu boots. And that is Don _and_ Hortense talking."

Amy rolls her eyes at the codenames. "Hold on," Leo takes the goggles from him. "What have we got here?"

"You shall not pass!" The Dragon Master is across from April, blocking people's way.

"Ugh, this guy again?" Amy complains at him.

"Oh no!" Donnie and Leo recoil back in panic. "We know how April freaks out at cosplay wizards."

"Operation: Normal to the rescue!" Leo declares and turns to Amy. "Come on, Helga."

"Don't call me Helga," She narrows her eyes at him in annoyance and they take off in separate directions. Leo and Amy hide in a bush, staring down at the girls. He throws a bottle at a passing pigeon, causing the girls to turn around. Donnie, flying with his Hover Shell, takes the Dragon Master away to Amy, who throws him into the trash can and shuts the lid.

April and Sunita turn to each other, shrugging and deciding to ignore it. "Omg, what is that?!" Sunita sees something, hugging April who freaks out.

"What is it?!" There's a pretzel stand up ahead with seemingly no one around to run it. April sighs in relief at it, feeling embarrassed over her reaction.

"A pretzel cart? Have you never had a genuine New York street pretzel?"

"No!" Sunita drops her safely onto the ground. "But can I now? Please, please, please!"

April smiles and they walk over to the cart. "It is on!"

Foot Recruit and Foot Brute are in disguise as the sellers of the booth. "Get ready. She's coming our way."

Amy and Leo see the girls, nodding. Then they turn to the pretzel cart and see the villains. "Awww, the Foot?! Man, evil guys have the worst timing!"

"They're gonna ambush them! Do something quick!" Amy exclaims to him and he pulls out his sword.

"Come on, portal, don't let me down!" Leo swings his weapon, making a portal in front of them.

"Yes!" Amy cheers and they jump inside quickly. The portal opens at the pretzel cart and they jump out.

"Ha! Nailed it!"

Amy pokes his shoulder and he turns around to see the shocked villains, as they didn't know he could do that. Leo kicks the portal over to them and they fall through.

"E-Eventually."

"Good job," Amy leans in and kisses him on the cheek. He gasps at the praise, holding his cheek. They hear giggles and they turn to see the girls approaching.

"Uh oh." He quickly throws the sword.

"Ow," Donnie calls out in pain.

They rush over to the pretzel cart. "Get your pretzels! Get 'em in yellow or dark yellow!"

"Or maybe cinnamon?" Amy holds up a cinnamon pretzel, holding a cane as she's hunched over. April's eyes widen as she recognizes them immediately.

"What are you two doing here?" She grits her teeth at them.

"Oh, what cute old ladies," Sunita peeks over her shoulder, to April's horror. "Are you three friends?"

"No!" April moves her away from them. "That'd be weird. Not that I don't like old ladies, but they're old ladies. Let's go get pizza," She pushes Sunita out of the park. She really didn't hate old ladies.

She just hated ones that are spying on her.

"She called us cute," Leo snickers at Amy.

"No, she said it because we're dressed like old ladies," She rolls her eyes at him.

"Still counts, my lady~" He puckers his lips at her and she drags him away.

"Let's just go..."

The portal opens from above, destroying the cart.

* * *

The girls are at Lopardo's Lou Mikey Toney Tony Pizza, sitting near the statue outside. April sits back and relaxes, breathing a sigh of relief. She couldn't remember the last time she went to a normal pizza place.

"This is more like it...two normal girls eating normal pizza, in a normal pizza restaurant."

"It's too bad Amy couldn't come. I would've liked to learn more about her," Sunita sighs a bit.

"Parrrtay!" She hears and she gasps, hiding behind the menu. Sunita turns around with a smile as a girl is celebrating her birthday.

April peeks to see the giggling birthday girl. "Happy Birthday, Cindy."

Sunita turns back to April and her smile turns into a frown. "Everything okay?"

"Sorry," April puts a hand to her temple. "A rough birthday flashback...one regular pizza it is."

"Waiter," Sunita says once he appears. "These two New Yorkers would like two of your New Yorkiest pizzas!"

Leo, Amy, and Donnie peek over the statue. "Operation: Pizza, subset of Operation Normal, is going great!" Donnie smiles as he sees the two.

"Uh, I wouldn't be so sure," Leo points to Foot Recruit and Foot Brute, again. Amy growls in annoyance at them.

"What is it with these two today?!" First the park, and now this. Couldn't they leave well enough alone?

"Operation: Normal just went defcon Red Alert!" Leo clenches his fists.

"We usually go by number, but let's move."

They jump into action, engaging in a fight with them. "And we'll take two waters," April says as the fighting groups move right past them.

"And would you like any lemon?"

Foot Recruit slams Leo's cheek into the window. "No!" April holds her head in panic.

"Yup, lemon does throw off a lot of people," The waiter agrees with her.

"Um, I'll be right back. See if you can find us a dessert," April giggles nervously, handing Sunita the menu.

She gasps sharply as she looks at it. "I will not let you down."

Leo is kicked into a brick wall, sliding to a stop. He looks up to see April and Amy looking down at him. "Leo! Wait...are you good? You okay?"

Leo laughs, giving her a thumbs up.

"Good, good...now, m, I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but...ARE YOU FOLLOWING ME!?" She shouts so loud and angry that their headgear fly up into the air for a second.

"Noooo," Leo rolls his eyes slowly, smiling nervously.

"Whaaaat? No way," Amy puts her hands behind her back, whistling.

"Sooo," April narrows her eyes at them. "You just happened to be selling pretzels earlier and now fighting right here?"

"Would you believe yes?" Leo smiles widely, shrinking underneath her death glare.

"Okay," She sighs in exasperation as she stands up. "But I just want one day where I don't get caught up in all the weirdness," April gestures to Donnie fighting Foot Brute. "Please, just...fight somewhere else?"

She walks off and they stand up. "Oh no."

Foot Recruit kicks them away and they crash. "You didn't," Amy narrows her eyes at the woman angrily.

"I will kick your flat butt between my toes!" Foot Recruit threatens, clenching a fist. Amy's face gets all red as smoke comes from her ears.

"That's it!" She charges at her with a yell and cats can be heard screeching as they fight.

Sunita is about to take a slice of pizza when April comes back. "Pizza's so last week. Let's go! Out the back." She drags the girl away, making her drop the pizza slice.

* * *

They go to the LazerDome to play laser tag together, hiding behind a platform as they look at their targets. April slides on the floor, jumping into the air and eliminating three players. Sunita jumps into the air, spinning around as she also eliminates three. She joins April, who lands in a crouch.

"Now this is what I'm talking about!" She cheers as there's no sign of her friends here.

"Laser tag was a great idea! Cover me!"

April does so and hears grunting noises. She looks behind her to see Leo and Amy battling Foot Recruit, to her disbelief.

"Really?" She sighs at them and walks over. "Again? Come on, you guys!"

They have their fingers on Foot Recruit's face, Leo with a broken tooth as he smiles sheepishly. "Ruining my normal night and laser tag?" She narrows her eyes at them. "Laser tag is...sacred..."

"Beyond sacred," Foot Recruit agrees with her. "How could you?!"

"We've been trying to help you have a normal day, but those Foot bozos keep following you," Leo narrows his eyes at Foot Recruit.

"This perra called my butt flat and I'm not letting her go down that easy!" Amy fumes as her teeth are sharp, a flame coming from her head.

"That's what you think we're doing? Ha!" Foot Recruit laughs and tackles them, throwing them onto the ground.

"I'm getting really tired of you guys!" Amy slams down a hand onto the ground.

"Okay, look," April pinches a temple. "I'll help you kick their butts, and then you three gotta go! Deal?"

The two smile at her and they fist bump.

"Deal. Operation: Normal is about to get unnormal, and then go back to normal!"

They run towards Foot Recruit while Sunita is firing at other players. She glances back at Donnie battling with Foot Brute. Donnie spins his staff around, jumping over Foot Brute's attacks. He suddenly grabs the staff and knocks Donnie into the ground repeatedly.

"Look out!"

He looks up at Sunita as she spins around, kicking him all the way to the second level.

"Uh, was that Sunita?" Donnie asks in shock. "Got a little pepper."

Sunita jumps off him, backing away as April hits her back. "April!"

"Sunita? What's, uh, new?"

"You know...stuff."

They're suddenly awkward around each other because of the villains. Sunita sees something behind April. "Look out!"

Foot Recruit lunges towards April, about to kick her. "Ditto!"

Foot Brute jumps towards Sunita.

"Oh no you don't!" Donnie, Amy, and Leo tackle them. "Grandmas of the year!"

April grabs Sunita so that they hide around the corner. "Was that a flying turtle in an old purple dress? And Amy too?" Sunita jerks a thumb at them.

"Um...yep. Look, Sunita, you're way cool and this has been a blast, but there's some super dangerous guys that are after me, and I'll text you later, maybe we can get some ice cream?"

"After you?" Sunita asks in surprise. "No, they're after me!"

"What?" April is confused. "Why would the Foot Clan be after you?"

Sunita sighs slowly. "They've been following me for days. That's why I went undercover as a human. I just wanted a normal day!" She presses her amulet, engulfing herself in green. April covers her eyes and when she looks at Sunita, her body is now a slimy green color and body mass. All of her physical features are a slime green color, with a part of her "slime hair" covering the left side of her face.

April gasps in shock. "You're a yokai?"

"Uh, googly shmuch," Sunita corrects her. "You had some on your shoulder earlier."

"You mean Exploding Frankie?!" April exclaims in recognition.

"Yeah, he's my Pops," Sunita tells her and they peek over the platform to see the Foot Clan kicking their friends' butts.

"Hey Sunita~" April sings as she gets an idea. "Isn't today your birthday?"

"Today isn't my birthday," She shakes her head. "Th-ohhh," She catches onto April's plan. "Good thinking."

April grabs her legs and spins her around, throwing her to the others.

"B-B-Bang!" She explodes into pieces, knocking Foot Brute into Foot Recruit.

"I shall require medical attention..."

"April, what happened? Where's Sunita?" Leo asks as they sit up. April grins, gesturing to all the slime, to their shock.

"She's in puddles! April, it is not 'normal' to liquefy your friends!" Donnie says in shock.

"Um...that's not possible," Amy looks around at the slime.

"Yeah," April points to the floor and Sunita forms back into her body. She presses her amulet and turns back to normal, giving a two finger salute.

"Oh ho ho! She's like Exploding Frankie," Leo realizes as she smiles. "That never gets old. I love it!"

"Oh, you're Amy!" Sunita recognizes the girl, shaking her hand. "Nice to finally meet you."

"The feeling is, ah..." Amy looks down at her old lady clothes. "Somewhat mutual."

"Ah, so, I guess you never stopped being a weirdo magnet after all, huh April?" Donnie says knowingly.

"You know what? I don't need to be normal. For me, weird is normal," April grins at him. "And am I so cool with that," She wraps an arm around Sunita and Amy.

"As a fellow weirdo, I concur," Sunita smiles and looks at Leo. "Hey, fake pearls, you're standing on my toe shmuch. I need that to fully reform my-" She looks down at her feet, realizing now that she's wearing only socks. "Hey, where are my boots?"

"Aw, they were really nice too," Amy pouts a little.

"So, who are these guys?" Sunita gestures to the turtles.

"Neon Leon," Leo gestures to himself, Amy stepping on his foot. "Ouch."

"Whoops," She looks away with a smirk. She did that on purpose...only she gets to call him Leon. When she wanted to. Not that she did.

"Donatello, the funniest, smartest-"

"We get it," Amy interrupts him sharply.

"Charming, isn't she?" Leo smiles as he jerks a thumb to Amy.

"Is, there, uh, something going on with you two?" Sunita smirks in amusement.

"No!" Amy groans at this. "First Warren Stone, now Exploding Frankie's daughter? Ugh!" She storms over to the entrance and they stare after her. None of them knew she was only acting, though.

"Ah, I love it when she reacts like that," Leo puts his arms behind his head casually. His eyes widen as he remembers something. "Hey, you kissed me on the cheek! What was that supposed to mean?!" He chases after her curiously.

"Nothing!" She denies immediately.

"I've got bets that they'll get together soon," April grins at Sunita.

"It's never gonna happen. They're just too different," Donnie rolls his eyes.

"Opposites attract!" The girls sing and he shakes his head.

* * *

Foot Recruit places Sunita's silver boots on a platform. They turn into the shoes of the Kuroi Yoroi. "The dark armor is almost complete..."

Foot Recruit places the feet underneath the armor. "We are one step closer to its dark power. SO DARK! So powerful..."

A roar comes from the armor as only a few pieces are needed...


	32. Sparring Partner

**Angel: Another reason why I hate these episodes being out of order...is because there's spoilers here even though people weren't technically supposed to know right now XD Since this is episode 32 overall, I will delete this (and Portal Jacked) and put it back when I post Shadow of Evil, which is episode 28. And then I have to delete and put this episode back again so that episode 30 goes underneath Portal Jacked. Also, in future episodes, events may be out of order because of the episodes that air are out of order.**

 **For example, if something is mentioned that didn't happen yet, don't take it as canon until the previous episode is out. God, I'm getting an headache just trying to explain this XD You'll see what I mean...**

 **Man, I wanted people to know about the events at the end later on, but I have no choice...and if you really don't want to see the spoiler, then stop reading when you see the warning. Then you can come back when all the episodes before this one (besides Portal Jacked) are here to read the end. Also, in this episode, Amy knows who planted the bomb at Smith's Sweets, but her finding out didn't happen yet, so please don't ask how she knows.**

 **AND I just realized I have to delete this episode again in the future so that episode 31 can go above it whenever it's released! Ahh, this is why I hate episodes being aired out of order! This is like the third time I've had to arrange episodes for the sake of continuity! And I'm sure it'll happen again as we go on...**

 **Thank you, snake screamer, for giving me the link to the episode.**

Leo skateboards on the ramp, Donnie and Mikey watching him. He's about to land when he sees Amy coming in, falling onto the ground. She chuckles at him, closing her cupcake magazine.

"Had a nice fall there, Leo?" She asks in a teasing voice. He rubs his neck sheepishly. Leo couldn't help but act like an idiot whenever she was around...he couldn't help it, she just...did that to him all of a sudden.

"I thought you were at work..." He chuckles nervously. He had to do something about his feelings...he felt like he was ready to. But would it be worth it?

"I finished early," She smiles a bit.

Something suddenly shakes from the garage, knocking all of them down. "Wha?" Donnie lifts his head up.

"Boom shackalaka!" Mikey exclaims in surprise. "Did that come from the Tank garage?"

"No, no, no, no, there is definitely nothing wrong with my Tank because it for sure doesn't backfire for no reason sometimes," Donnie looks around nervously. Amy rolls her eyes at his aloofness, Leo standing up. There's another crash and Leo knocks on the garage door, which is closed.

"Woo hoo!" Raph exclaims from inside. "That's the stuff!"

"Raph, is that you?" Mikey asks curiously.

"What's he doing?" Amy raises a brow suspiciously. She already had a bad feeling on what he was up to...

"NO! I mean, yes!" Raph says quickly. "Why would I speak and then it not be me?" He laughs sheepishly, Leo and Mikey glancing to each other.

"Raph, it's me, open the door," Amy calls out.

"MELLIE!" He sounds panicked when he hears her voice. "Uh, one sec!"

Mikey shrugs to Leo and Amy, the door eventually being opened after a few seconds. Raph lays down on the floor, smiling so big, she felt like his face would break.

"Hey! It's my brothers, and my friend, who I respect and stick by. What brings you all to the lair?"

They open the door as Amy crosses her arms. "I used to live here. And you never say that about me."

"What was all that noise...?" Leo asks slowly as Amy has a point. Raph seemed especially nervous when he heard Amy outside...

"What noise?" Raph puts on a stoic face.

"Was that just you setting up our sparring session?" Leo looks around the room. There's a blue mat underneath the Turtle Tank, weapons and a few practice dummies around the room. Four of them are in their likeness, except for Raph's.

"Ssssure," Raph quickly fibs as he stands up. "Yeah! It was that, and nothing else."

"Sweet!" Mikey pumps his fists as Leo glances at Raph weirdly. He puts his arm around Leo, suspecting nothing. "I could go for a game of Catching the Bandana."

"Usual rules. First to grab a bandana other than his or her own color is the winner," Donnie grins at them and they spring into action, facing each other as they guard their posts. Raph chuckles nervously as if anything went out of hand...

"Uh, I'm not really in the mood to play a game," He rubs the back of his neck.

"Then why'd you set it up?" Leo asks him and his eyes widen.

"You know, for the oldest, you're not that coordinated in the mind," Amy rolls her eyes.

"Oh, that's right!" He sweats nervously. _Stupid!_ "I am in the mood!"

"Raph, what is with you?" Donnie asks, raising a brow.

"You didn't go playing around with my baking equipment, did you?" Amy gives an annoyed look. The last time he did so, she had to replace 300 dollars of her things, and she did not feel like going through that again.

"Donnie versus Raph!" Mikey blows an airhorn. "Go!"

Donnie smirks and pulls out his staff, rushing towards Raph. "Taste my bandana fury!" He declares, poking Raph in the plastron. Honestly, it was like Raph wasn't even trying. Which is, in their opinion, unusual of him. He's always up to take them down in training.

"Whoa!" He falls onto the ground dramatically, hand on his forehead. "Donnie, you are so strong."

"A quadruple threat, my friend," Donnie takes Raph's bandana from his post. "Strong, funny, amusing, and hilarious."

"Those last three all mean the same thing," Amy rolls her eyes. She's holding two eclairs, Leo has a cup of tea, and Mikey has popcorn.

"Kinda looked like Raph took a dive," Leo glances at his younger brother and Amy.

"Please, Leo, you forget Einstein's Law of Brains...over Brawn," Donnie brags, Amy shaking her head. Now he was just making stuff up.

"Right, that," Raph pushes them out the door as quick as he can. "Uh, okay, good game then." He closes the door, leaving them confused. He was acting weird...weirder than usual. The whole thing seemed like a wash...

"Einstein's Law of Brains over Brawn," Raph rolls his eyes at Donnie's phrase. As long as no one found out, he was okay with letting Donnie believe that he actually beat him. It was better than them discovering his secret, especially Amy. Who knows what she might do if she found out?

"Of course I took a dive," He pushes away a table. "So I could get back to my real bandana game with my favorite sparring partner!"

A large Origami Ninja steps out of the secret hidden compartment. He has the Foot symbol over his whole face, and his outfit has red and black. He growls at Raph, giggling. "Piecing a paper ninja back together was genius!" He tries to punch, but the paper ninja blocks him. His brothers weren't much of a challenge lately. Amy was another story...she usually beat him. He just wanted someone else who could best him, and could be easy. But if his friend knew that he did this, her reaction would not be fun to experience. She still held a grudge from when the Foot planted that bomb, which was dumb in his opinion. His friend didn't do that to her, only the Foot.

He dodges a punch. "I'm not letting you grab a bandana," He blocks incoming punches using his tonfa. "Nope, I'm not. He's as good as new!" He punches his friend in the face, causing his eyes to look derpy.

"Oh, Buddy, your eye. Well, almost new," He looks away nervously. "Uh, I'll fix that later, Buddy."

Buddy pushes his eye back to normal. "Buddy!" The paper ninja smiles fondly at the name. He then dodges a punch from Raph. He tries to attack, but Raph chuckles, moving past him and running towards Leo's bandana.

"Raph's gonna beat ya!"

Buddy stands in front of the post. "No blue!" He punches Raph and the turtle rolls onto the floor, crashing into the garage door. He smiles, glancing at how Buddy has progressed. This is exactly what he needed from sparring...

Even if Amy and his friends were oblivious about him.

Buddy rushes towards Raph's post, but Raph himself tackles him to the wall. "You're not winning that easy!"

Buddy glances up at a button above him. His eyes shine at it. "Now what is the rule?" Raph notices the button. "We only touch red, orange, blue, pink, or purple bandanas! Nothing else!"

Nevertheless, the ninja presses the button, causing something from the Turtle Tank to shoot out from the front. It whisks around the room like a pinball, decapitating the ninja's leg and knocking Raph to the ground. Buddy hops over to him.

"Buddy!"

"Accidents happen," Raph sits up, showing his sparring partner that he's fine. "It's all good."

Buddy giggles, glad that his friend is okay.

"Whoa!" Raph glances down. "Your foot. Someone needs Raphie's help?" He pulls out some tape, bending down. Buddy holds out his leg and Raph fixes it for him. "I just can't imagine a better sparring partner than you. You're perfect!"

He then sees that the right leg looks all twisted. "Except for the backwards foot thing."

"Come on, Raph!" Leo calls out. "Aren't you skating?"

Raph ignores him and pushes Buddy towards the closet. "Great game. I gotta go bye bye. We'll tussle again tomorrow."

"Buddy!" The paper ninja holds out his arms for a hug.

"Sorry Buddy, you can't come. I know, I know. I'll miss you too. And remember, keep it down. If my brothers and Mellie find you, you'll be confetti before you can say uhhh," Raph sticks out his tongue. Buddy repeats the last word.

"Exactly!"

"Buddy..." He holds out a hand longingly. Raph slams the door shut, cutting off the left hand away from the body. Since he wanted his hand back, the left hand moves towards some glue on the table. "Buddy?" He peeks out the door, taking his hand.

"...Mellie..." He wanted to meet this girl since he's never seen a human. And she could be nice...

"You know what I just remembered?" Mikey questions as the others watch Leo skateboard. "How much I HATE paper ninjas! I must suddenly remember I hate those guys like 20 times a day!"

Raph gives a nervous look. They just _had_ to mention the same type of enemy he was trying to keep a secret.

"In fact, I've been working on a shredding attachment for the next time we cross paths!" The end of his staff turns into a fan, Donnie laughing evilly. Raph shouts in horror, backing up a bit.

"I'll make sure I get revenge on all of them for planting that bomb and almost killing me!" Amy punches her fists.

"Sure glad none of our close personal friends are made out of paper," Raph smiles nervously.

"Except maybe Amy. She's so sharp she could actually be paper...she already lacks a heart," Donnie teases, which earns him a punch in the arm from the brunette. She hit so hard he falls off, landing on the ground.

"I have a heart," She huffs, crossing her arms. "I just hate the Foot."

As Leo skateboards past Raph, a drop of glue falls down from the ceiling. He glances at it rapidly as Leo skates onto the glue, causing him to trip and fall on his back. His skateboard rolls to a stop. The three turtles cringe as Amy jumps down immediately, rushing over to him.

"You okay?" She asks in concern.

"See, she does have a heart," Leo says to Donnie, patting her cheek. "You just gotta dig deep."

She swats his hand away as Raph looks up to see Buddy walking around, pouring globs of glue onto his arm.

"Huh, there appears to be gunk on the ramp," Donnie rubs his chin, the others joining him. "Perhaps we should crane our necks upwards to see from whence it came."

They slowly look up, about to see Buddy, but Raph quickly pushes their heads down. "Look, it must've come from down here. Definitely not from any place above!"

Buddy's hand falls loose and Raph looks up as it's nearing them! He jumps and catches it, laughing as he hides it behind his back.

"What is with you?" Mikey demands, annoyed. "Why are you crazy?"

"Ha ha! I'm not crazy!" Raph laughs it off. "You're crazy!" Buddy's hand grips his mask tails and he whimpers in pain from it. "Hey, how about we all hang out in our rooms alone for 3 to 5 minutes?" He tries pushing them away.

"But I don't live here anymore," Amy points out.

"Dude, come on!"

"We are skating!" Donnie reminds him. Buddy falls onto the ground behind them.

"Uh, you're right. We should hang right here and never look at what's behind us!" Raph shouts quickly.

"Should we get the pepper spray?" Amy whispers to the others, about to turn around. Raph engulfs them into a group hug, Buddy's hand patting the back of Leo's head. Luckily Leo doesn't seem to notice. He hears a giggle, looking up to see Buddy sating around and falling. He plays with a stapler and triggers Donnie's staff.

"No! Buddy! Only touch bandanas!" He whisper scolds. "I mean, nobody touch bananas! They're slimey!"

"Okay, dude, what is with you today?" Leo looks up at him.

"You know I don't do group hugs! Personal space," Amy tries to wiggle free.

"It's obvi, Leo. He's wigging cause he's dying to shred some paper dweebs!" Mikey chimes in. Buddy turns around at the mention of it.

"So you're itching to make paper scarps," Leo grins at his brother smugly. "Huh, Raph?"

"Oh, yeah," Raph lies through his teeth. If he says no, they'd be suspicious...more suspicious than they were before, that is. "I hate those paper jerks. Any moment I'm not slicing paper jerk into jerk confetti is a wasted jerk moment!"

Buddy's eyes glisten sadly. Raph...hated him? And wished for him to go away like the others? Raph was his friend...

"Bunch of jerks!" Raph smiles nervously. "I don't mean you," He whispers to Buddy, but the damage has already been done. Buddy hangs his head, hurt as he jumps away. His hand follows him and he cries as he leaves through the ceiling. Raph's eyes water at his friend leaving. He didn't mean to hurt his feelings, but it was the only way to keep the others from finding out...

"Okay, the hug is still going," Leo says awkwardly.

"I feel weird," Amy murmurs quietly.

"Good times!" He finally releases him once Buddy is gone. "Hey, you know, we should do this again."

"Maybe when you're not acting strange," Amy stands up, dusting herself off.

"Yeah, see ya," Leo stares after him.

"He's acting weird, and not just Raph weird. Mikey weird," Donnie comments, glancing at his brother. "No offense."

"I was gonna say the same thing," Mikey agrees, shrugging helplessly.

"He is hiding something," Leo says knowingly, raising a brow.

"Whatever it is, as long as he doesn't hug me that long again, I probably won't get mad at him," Amy crosses her arms.

A Lou Jitsu moving is playing at the Foot Shack. "Hot soup!" The movie star declares, kicking the air. Foot Lieutenant copies the same moves. Foot Recruit slams the door open, shocking him.

"A pressing development, sensei!"

"Let me guess, you want to smash and/or demolish something," He says knowingly. That was all she spewed. He likes doing that too, but even he's not that...dedicated as Foot Recruit.

"No! I mean, okay if you insist!" She kicks a broom next to her, spinning it. She jabs at it, stepping back as the broom falls down in pieces. Her left eye glints as she gets back to why she interrupted him. "I have spotted one of our origami soldiers loose in the city!"

"What is he doing out there alone?" Foot Lieutenant asks curiously. Most Origami Ninjas were either shredded by their enemies, the turtles and Amy, or they either did their bidding. In fact, they only listen to him, so why would one of their own be out in the city unless told to do so?

"Attacking! May I join you wiping out peasants one break at a time?!" She holds out a kunai. He sighs slowly.

"You really need a hobby," He shakes his head. "But let's get to the bottom of this." He jumps into the air and she shrugs at his suggestion, not knowing what that meant. She follows him outside.

"Buddy!" Raph himself is searching for the runaway paper ninja. "Buddy, hey! Where'd you go, buddy?!" He holds his head. Buddy has never gone out by himself. He could be hurt, kidnapped, or worse, and it was all his fault! Why did he have to open his big fat mouth?!

"There you are." His eyes widen as he turns around to Mikey, Leo, Amy, and Donnie. "What's up with the secrecy?"

"Brothers! Mellie! What are you guys doing?" He can tell by their faces that they didn't hear him shouting for Buddy. Donnie lands on his shell.

"Hold that thought. We've got a little situation going." He looks towards the street as screams from the people can be heard. Mikey, Leo, and Amy rush over to see Buddy walking around aimlessly. He steals from a man, slices a wooden statue off by the head, and snatches a bandana from a dog. All of them are red as tears flow down his face.

"A paper ninja?!" Mikey exclaims in shock.

"And he's only attacking people in red bandanas," Leo rubs his chin. "Huh, it's like someone who wears a red bandana really hurt this guy's feelings once. Strange."

Raph sniffles, trying not to cry. Now he knew why Buddy was attacking...it's because he still wanted to spar with Raph...

"Kinda weird, but still from the Foot nevertheless," Amy shrugs helplessly at Leo.

"Dibs on shredding him!" Mikey cheers, jumping over the edge.

"Uh, no!" Leo protests, Raph cringing. "We only call dibs on pizza, skate ramps, Amy's desserts, and Donnie's stuff."

"Hey!" Both aforementioned people call out. They jump after the other two, Raph following nearby.

"Maybe we shouldn't shred him at all, you know? That seems fair, right?"

"Raph's out," Mikey lands on him. "Dibs on his share on the confetti, dibs on Donnie's, and dibs on Amy's cupcakes that she's making later."

"Hey!" Donnie calls out again.

"Do you guys call dibs on my creations all the time?" Amy asks in disbelief.

"Mellie, you think it's fair to let him be, don't you?" Raph asks hopefully. She should be on his side with this, right? She does stick by her friends.

Amy closes her eyes, shaking her head. "Mm..." By her mute response, he got his answer.

"Oh come on!" He exclaims in protest.

"Raph, do you realize what you are asking of me?" She opens her eyes, arms crossed as she looks down at him. "He's associated with the same people who tried to blow up the shop!"

Raph puts on his puppy eyes to try and convince her. "I thought you would care..."

Amy grunts at his failed tactic. It went against everything she stood for to not even consider this guy a threat. "God dang it, Raph! I'm not gonna side the enemy! A bomb isn't something you get over! It stays with you forever! They attacked the only thing that I have left that could possibly remind my mother of who she is and you want me to look past that?!"

Raph looks away, muttering, "You're being unfair and judgmental over him. You don't even know him."

The other turtles' eyes widen as Amy opens her mouth in disbelief. "Dude, dude, no," Leo tries to warn him, but it was already too late.

"Are you brainwashed?! I don't wanna 'get to know him!' So I'm supposed to side with you and not care about the bomb just because you want me to?! And for what?! One guy? I'm not losing my bakery again! I can't go through that again, and if you keep this up, I might lose it for good! And if you don't get that, then you really don't know how it feels to lose everything you had!"

He blinks at her outburst, feeling bad now. He didn't know what it was like to have someone not remember you. He couldn't even imagine what it was like to go through that loneliness.

Amy takes a deep breath, letting it out. She wanted to take him down herself.

Joe's Bandanas is Buddy's next stop, giggling as he breaks in. Amy and the three turtles land on the roof, sneaking inside. They see him rummaging through the stock.

"Confetti-abunga!" Mikey cheers as they pull out their weapons. Raph tackles them to the ground before they can do anything. "What are you doing?"

"Come on, what is happening?" Donnie glares up at Raph.

"I, uh, changed my mind!" He glances at Buddy. "Uh, I'm calling dibs!" He jumps to Buddy. "Buddy, you gotta get out of here."

"No, not buddy." Buddy shakes his head and then sees Amy. "Mellie!" He whispers, hoping she'll be his friend. He's about to rush to her, but Raph stops him.

"You all really need a hobby," They look up to Foot Lieutenant, who had broken a window.

"Oh, we got one," Leo grins up at him. "Kicking butt, and taking names. And you are?"

Foot Recruit smashes through the window below her superior. "Don't make us pulverize your guts into guts bits! Give us back our origami man!"

Raph steps in between him. "Of course he was yours, but now he seems more like a free agent, so you can go home! Thanks, though."

"We will do _nothing_ of the sort! You are so not reading our tone!" She shouts at him.

"He's ours, and he's coming with us," Foot Lieutenant speaks up.

"Certainly, how many pieces would you like him in?" Donnie tries to test out his new weapon. "Arrivederci, paper punk!" He jumps into the air, preparing to shred Buddy.

"No, no, no, no!" Raph slides in front of Buddy, his mystic knuckles appearing. "Not my buddy!" He protects buddy from Donnie.

"Okay, it's official!" Leo calls out as Donnie blinks in confusion. "Raph's gone cuckoo."

"Look," Raph looks up at Buddy. "You're not the jerk. I'm the jerk. I didn't mean that stuff. I just didn't want 'em to shred you. Our weeks of sparring and playing Catch the Bandana have been the best fights of my life! When I fight my brothers or Mellie, I just think about fighting you and getting rid of them so I can fight you again!"

Buddy tears up at the heartfelt words.

"Whaaaaa?" Donnie and Mikey say in unison.

"You _did_ let Donnie beat you!" Leo replies knowingly.

"Say what?! Raph!" Amy shouts at him angrily. No wonder why he was pushing her to let Buddy go free; because they're friends!

"We will never know," Donnie shakes his head with a shrug.

"Yeah, I did."

"We will never know," Donnie repeats, silently telling Raph that he was better off not knowing.

"He's my new best friend," Raph pats Buddy on the head. "And if anyone wants to take away my Buddy, they gotta come through me."

Amy says nothing about his declaration. Buddy did seem less lethal than the others...but that didn't change the fact that he came from the same clan that tried to blow up her shop! And Raph didn't seem to realize how important that place was to her.

Buddy gasps at Raph's gesture, placing his cheek against Raph's shell.

"Touching!" Foot Recruit exclaims in disgust. "And in case you couldn't tell, that was sarcasm!"

"We could never let you keep him. Shred him, Recruit!"

"My extreme pleasure," She seethes at them, speeding over to Raph and kicking him to the ground. She then throws kunai at Buddy, but Leo steps in and knocks them away.

"Back off! He's ours. A-Apparently."

"A new best friend?" Mikey smiles at him, holding a green marker. He wipes off the red paint. "Don't need this anymore. You're a Mad Dog, baby!" He draws the same emblem that they and Amy have on them. Buddy giggles at the new look.

"Buddy!"

"That's right! You're on our team! This fight's not about grabbing our bandanas, it's about kicking foot faces!" He points towards the two enemies as they surround Buddy, Amy looking reluctant. "Are you with me?"

He sees that Buddy is standing in the wrong direction. "This way, Buddy," He spins the paper ninja around and he blinks before taking on a karate pose.

"Get him!" Foot Lieutenant throws several paper origami, and they turn into paper ninjas. Leo swoops in first, swinging his sword and shredding a ninja.

Foot Recruit yells as she clashes weapons with him and a ninja runs past them.

"There's too many of them! Get to high ground, Buddy!" Raph shouts to his friend. Amy gets surrounded by ninjas as Raph jumps to a higher level. One ninja tries to kick him away, another attacking Buddy. He punches, but misses, and the enemy ninja takes off a hand. Buddy grabs it back, using it to grab the ninja in front of him and throwing him into the other ninjas surrounding Amy. She opens her mouth in shock, looking up at Buddy.

"Mellie!" He cheers at his successful save for her and she raises a brow.

"How does he know my nickname?" While she's grateful, she still didn't like Raph's attitude towards her about him. One of the ninjas hits a button on the wall.

"Go, go!" Raph urges Buddy, standing in front of him. "I'm right behind you, Buddy!" He jumps up to Buddy, sliding on the conveyor belt while fending off a paper ninja. Down below, Leo is dealing with Foot Recruit. She's fast and quick as she kicks him to bandana felt. He jumps onto it, running. He laughs as it hits her in the face, but she grabs it and ties him up in it. She laughs as she holds up the stuck Leo, throwing him towards the others. Amy yells as she rushes up to Foot Recruit, tackling her to the ground. They both attack other viciously in a cat fight.

"Time to recycle these goons!" Mikey says, but Leo crashes into them and Raph, tying all of them up with him. They all groan and Amy crashes against the wall from Foot Recruit, landing roughly next to Leo.

"Buddy!" Buddy cries out to them.

"Finish them! And shred the traitor," Foot Lieutenant orders. A paper ninja next to him rushes up to the group, but Buddy's left hand glows pink. His eyes do the same and he punches the ninja into shreds. He didn't even know he could do that, but he was helping! His other hand makes a paper tornado, the other two surprised. All the paper inside the room goes to Buddy, making his right arm larger.

"They grow up and turn against you so fast..." Foot Lieutenant says in awe. Buddy makes the hand into a fist, slamming it onto the ground. This causes a large blast that sends Foot Recruit and Foot Lieutenant flying into the sky, disappearing into a glint.

Everyone except Donnie gasps in shock since he didn't see it. Raph breaks them free. "I'm calling it, guys. Our Buddy's the winner!" Raph and Leo smile, holding up his arms...which break. The two tape him back up. "Aw man, I owe you one, guys."

"And we owe you one, too," Leo crosses his arms with a smug grin. "For throwing your fights."

"That cannot be confirmed or denied," Donnie chimes in.

T do you say, Buddy?" Leo nudges him in the chest. "First one to grab the red bandana wins?"

"Buddy!" He cheers and the boys tackle Raph, laughing. The turtle was so glad that it was finally out, and that his brothers weren't going to do anything to him. He looks around for their friend.

"Mellie?"

"Mellie," Buddy points up and they look to see Amy jumping out the rooftop window. She helped them...but she still didn't forgive Raph.

"Bad Raph!" Mikey points to him. "You shouldn't have said that stuff to Amy!"

"I just wanted her to understand," Raph rubs his neck.

"Understand or force her? You can't just ask her to look past what the Foot did just because of one guy," Leo gestures to Buddy. "I mean, think about it. You made her feel like her hard work wasn't important, and you know that's not true."

"I don't wanna lose my pineapple muffins, mister!" Donnie gives Raph a dirty look. "You go and do whatever it takes! Even seduce her, just make her continue baking!"

"Gross," Leo sticks out his tongue at the thought. "Okay, do anything but that."

"I get it," Raph holds out his hands up in defense.

She sits on the edge of the roof a few feet away from her bakery. Everything she worked so hard for could've been gone if they hadn't stopped the Foot. She couldn't have it happen again. She practically grew up here, discovered her passions here...

If Raph wasn't such an idiot, she could've been looking at the remains.

Still...she did understand why he thought of Buddy as a friend. He wasn't hoping Buddy would change, but that his brothers and herself would. She always thought her mother would change, but it never happened. But she still had hope, like Raph did.

Even if it was misguided...

 _Yeah, no, he's still an idiot._

Someone lands behind her and by the sound of the thump, she knew exactly who it was. Which is why she doesn't bother turning around when Raph approaches her.

"Um..." He starts off, rubbing his neck. "I'm sorry."

She blinks slowly as he takes his seat next to her. Given her silence, that meant he could continue. He holds out a can of cherry soda and she stares at it. "I just thought that since you're a nice person that you would see that he wasn't all that bad..."

"Mm," She hums as she never heard that from Raph of all people. She decides to take the soda, resisting the urge to throw it over the roof.

"But I realize now that the bakery means a lot to you, and uh...I was wrong to try and make you go through that again."

She snorts as she laughs a bit. "Wow. It must've taken guts for you to say all of that AND admit you were wrong!"

"Do you forgive me or not? Cuz I'll make a cake right now if that's what it takes."

"God, no," She waves her hands as she stops laughing. "Don't do that. Anyway...I forgive you. But if you tell anyone I said that, I'll have to kill you."

"It's not bad to show compassion," He rolls her eyes.

"I didn't say that. I just have trust issues. You know what I went through during school," She scoffs and he stands up.

"Yeah...I acted like a jerk like them though."

"You were a jerk...but I understand why you thought he could be a friend. Do me a favor, though, next time you meet someone like that, don't be an idiot."

"Noted," He chuckles sheepishly and then he gets a punch to the arm. "OW!"

"Never make me feel like what I do isn't important," She points to him like a mother would with her child. "And never ever make it seem like I don't care, because you don't know me at all if you make that assumption."

"Agreed."

 **(SPOILER! THIS IS YOUR SPOILER WARNING. IF YOU DON'T WANNA SEE IT, LEAVE NOW AND COME BACK WHEN EVERYTHING IS IN ORDER AGAIN.)**

Leo approaches Amy at her mother's place, taking a deep breath. This was it, he was finally going to ask Amy out. He had no idea how this would go, but he had to take a chance, right? She's had a huge impact on him, more than she could ever know. There was always something that brought him right back to her. It wasn't weird that she's only a little older than him. It's only a few months, after all. Luckily Mrs. Santiago is asleep.

Amy's scrolling through her Youtube account when she notices a red-eared slider standing in front of the window. He looks worried, causing her to put the phone away. She's never seen Leo with that expression before.

"Something wrong?" She asks when she opens the window.

 _Your beauty, baby. No, don't say that!_

"Uh, well...my lady, I was wondering, if...um..."

"If?" Amy asks slowly, encouraging him.

"See, I like this girl..."

Her eyes widen before they turn sad. "Oh...you do?" _What? Leo, met a girl, and he_ _didn't tell me?! I thought he was only interested in me... N-Not that I care...I don't._

 _Oh, who am I kidding? Of course I care._

He gulps as he traces circles on his arm. "Yeah...she's fun, beautiful...absolutely wonderful."

"That would sound about right..."

"But...the thing is...she's not exactly okay with mutants."

She's the one stumbling now. "Wh-What? How can she just not like mutants? You're different!" Her face turns red at what she just said, eyes wide as saucers. _Holy shell, where did that come from?!_

Leo looks at her bashfully at the compliment, smiling in relief. "I am? Please, do tell me more."

"I-I don't know what you mean," She stammers, rubbing her neck.

"Sure, like you're gonna ignore the fact that you just gave me a compliment."

"I am," She closes her eyes, giving a teasing smile. "But you didn't hear this from me."

"Okay," He chuckles, allowing himself to breathe again.

"Are these feelings...just a phase? Are you...gonna stop liking her? Because I've never heard you sound so serious about a girl, Leo," She says her concerns, trying not to make it obvious that she's bothered by this.

"I-It's not a phase. This is completely the opposite, Ames. I...really like her...and not because of her looks. I love her personality, her smile, and...no matter what she thinks or what anyone tells her, she'll always matter. She...sells herself short. She has no idea how amazing he really is."

Amy flinches at his words. He...actually sounded serious about her...

"So...what is it about her?"

"She has no flaws. I can't resist her."

Her eyes are noticeably glossy and Leo stares at her, smiling. "Do you want to know who she is?"

She nods quietly, ready for the heartbreak.

"It's you."

Amy looks up at him, her mouth wide open. Leo's just smiling warmly as her heart pounded in her chest. _Me...?_

"And..." Leo takes her silence as a sign to go on. "We've known each other for a while now and I think there's...something between us. I can feel it. I wanted to know...if you'd like to go on a date with me..."

She takes a deep breath. This is what she wanted, right? For him to ask...

"Leo...this may be hard to hear, but...it might be wrong to go through with this."

He looks at her in confusion as she rubs her arm. _This is the right thing to do...right? Despite my feelings, I can't risk both of us getting hurt._

She looks away, not wanting to see how he looks right now. "We might become selfish. Even though we want the same things right now, in the future...we might not. And it's not just that. You're...too young to know what you really want..."

"That's ridiculous."

The brunette turns to him as he has a serious look. He places his hands on her shoulders, staring her straight in the eye. "Amy, look at me. We're still young. Of course we don't know what we want. But I do know that I want a chance with you...to be with you. I meant every word I said."

"Leo, I don't know...what if it's not right?"

"Then we'll make it right. So...?"

"...I...well..." She stammers, unsure. "We both know that I don't do these sort of things, Leo..."

Leo smirks at her. If he can change, so can she. He grabs her by the waist and throws her over his shoulder. She squeals, hitting his shell with her fists.

"Put me down!"

"Say you'll go on a date with me," He smirks in amusement. "Come on, you know you want to."

Amy giggles at his antics. "Okay, okay! I'll go on a date with you."

He puts her down, raising a teased brow. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah..." She smiles at him. "Though, we won't call it a date. Call it...a test. If this works out, then...we'll let whatever happens happen."

"Fine by me."

 **P.S: If you did read the spoiler, just know that I might have to change some dialogue in Portal Jacked with Amy in case it's a major event what with Baron Draxum working with the Foot.**


	33. You Got Served

**Angel: I am finally back! So glad to be doing new episodes, and for once, in order! I think the last time that happened was when I started this story. Anyways. Next week I will update normally, but unfortunately, for the last episode this month, Mystic Library, I won't be able to update it until July. In case no one read the recent updates from my other three stories, I'll be gone two days before it airs on my cruise, and I won't be back for at least two weeks. I think maybe I could watch it online, but without my laptop, I can't even write it. Not sure what day I'll be back, but if you don't see an update after two weeks, that's my reason.**

 **Also, the reason why this is so long is because of something that happens after. I think you guys know what it is *winks***

Outside Run of the Mill Pizza, a limousine parks outside, three shadows walking up to the dead end of the alley. The limo leaves and the entrance is opened. Customers enjoy their meal while Senor Hueso folds a napkin.

"We have never been graced with your kind before," He places a napkin on a yokai that is a mess of eyeballs and tentacles. A bowl of soup with eyeballs sits in front of him. "And I sure hope that was your lap."

The yokai just growls in response.

A large dark green foot steps into the restaurant. Two females step through the wall, one of them punching the fly waiter into a wall, practically squashing him almost. Senor Hueso looks at the mess, turning around to demand who just injured one of his waiters before gasping in surprise. There are three yokais, the leader smaller than her minions.

"The Makers of Brutality?!"

They simply growl, the one-eyed leader snapping her fingers. Senor Hueso bows at her command. "My humblest apologies, Beverly. May I suffer a thousand tortures for making you wait!"

"Eye sockets this way, Hueso," She snaps and he looks up nervously. "I'm here for the mob meeting."

"The Makers of Brutality meeting is tonight?!" He completely forgot about it. The purple-haired minion leans her head down towards him.

"Nobody forgets Boss' business dinner," She flicks his head right off and it lands in the eyeball soup of his new customer. The others are sent into a panic, running around screaming. Hueso tries to laugh this moment off.

"Excuse me, but I am not a soup crouton."

He hated to admit it, but he needed help...

Turtle help.

* * *

Leo, Amy, and Mikey run across the rooftops, heading over to the yokai pizza place. Hueso had called and asked them to come over.

"Run of the Mill Pizza," Mikey pants, glancing back at the duo. "I am so gonna beat you two there!"

"Not a compeition," Leo pants next to Amy. "So, I was thinking we could meet at your place at 7, 7:30?" Leo whispers to her. Amy's about to answer his question when Mikey interrupts.

"Did you say something, second and third place?" Mikey calls out to them. Amy rolls her eyes. Mikey has a competitive spirit, and he was obviously trying to get Leo in on it...

"Just because you beat me in Skate Ball for the first time doesn't mean you're the all-time champ of everything," Leo reminds his brother.

"I know, just the all-time champ of today, baby!" Mikey replies back with a smile.

Amy shakes her head at him. "7:30," She says back to Leo, smiling to herself. She couldn't help but feel...excited. Of course she realized the situation she's in; it was their first 'date.' Amy knew that she was the one who said it wasn't a date, but she still feels completely lost on how it was gonna go. Would it feel like any other time they've hung out? Or completely different?

"Cowabunga!" Mikey's loud voice brings her out of her thoughts as they all jump into the air, falling into the open air. The turtles face-plant into the ground in front of a surprised Hueso while Amy lands safely behind them.

"And land safely," She bows playfully.

"On the scene just like you asked," Mikey grins deviously, wrapping an arm around his brother and Amy. "What's the 911?"

The other two scoff at him, pushing him off.

"I booked the Makers of Brutality AND the Barbarianism meeting on the same night!" Hueso tells the trio in a panic.

"Uh, is that bad?" Mikey asks in confusion. Besides by the slightly terrifying names, he didn't see the problem...

"They are mortal enemies! They will not hesitate to bash each other and destroy my whole place!" Hueso says, frowning in worry.

Leo wraps his arm around the bone man. "So naturally, you called the toughest bouncers to boot these bozos out of here," he brags and Amy grins, pulling out a shotgun. She readies the shotgun shells that were inside.

"I'm all ready."

Leo, Hueso, and Mikey just stare at her in surprise. She notices their looks after a while and tilts her head in confusion.

"What? Of course I have a gun. I've been through this kind of situation with business managers."

"Heavens no!" He shakes his head at Amy. "I need you to be my waiters and chefs, Amelia being my pastry chef and mayordomo del vino." He leads them inside the back door and into the kitchen. "My entire staff cut out when they saw those brutes." He hands over three uniforms to the trio. "You three will be my temps."

"But we're natural-born bouncers! That's like asking Lou Jitsu to serve cold soup! Ames had a gun, come on!" Leo protests, but he just waves it off, having no idea of who this Lou Jitsu was.

"Yes, yes, you will cope. Now, keep them separated, always eating, and never let them fight each other or else they will destroy my restaurant!" A spotlight suddenly falls on him. "My body will be repaired, but my heart...she lives in my restaurant. Let no harm come to her!"

"Alright, alright, alright, but can we keep our weapons?" As soon as Leo asks that, their weapons are snatched away by Hueso.

"No! Those are way too sharp to be around these ruffians," He throws their weapons onto a magnet wall for utensils. "Amelia, here is the recipe for the dessert you are making," He throws a paper airplane at her and she catches it. "You are in charge. Side note, push dishes that require only spoons...and senorita, no knives around the cake."

He closes the door, leaving the three confused. Amy then catches on with a wince.

"Let's just help Hueso out," She opens the paper and stares at it. "Pink unicorn frosting, tentacles, eyeballs...ah, I've never heard of this recipe, but it's theirs," She shrugs at the two and turns around.

"He wants you to be the pastry chef and...?" Mikey drags out the last word.

"Oh!" She turns back to them. "Wine stewardess."

"You know how to do that?" Leo asks in surprise.

"Dad was practically an expert on wine. Taught me everything I know before I decided to do baking," She shrugs again. "Oh, get dressed and go serve."

"Buenos noches," He lights a candle at the Brutalitys table. "Our completely trained and completely professional staff will be right with you."

The door suddenly slams open and Hueso looks past the divider to see the other party arriving. Three dragons are standing there and the leader, Boss Bruce, snorts out some air.

"The Masters of Barbarianism?!" He laughs at the Brutality gang. "Excuse me, just one minute."

They say nothing as he walks up to the other mob. "Welcome, welcome!"

Leo bursts out of the kitchen, dressed in a white dress suit, black vest, red bow tie, black pants, and a red apron around his waist. "Oh, yeah!" He places his hands on his hips.

"Got dressed quicker than you!" Mikey sings, standing near the entrance.

"Okay, stop. We got a job to do here," Leo crosses his arms, getting a little annoyed with Mikey's goading. "Plus everyone knows it's all about who wore it best. Um, me!"

"Mikey, focus on helping Hueso and stop trying to compete with your brother. Leo, get started," Amy barks, closing the doors. Leo sighs slowly at her orders.

"Ah, her best quality coming to form: assertive."

"Sorry, didn't hear ya. Too busy being the best waiter," Mikey grins as he walks up to the Barbarianisms. "Hello, new friends." Bruce just growls, looking up at him. "Are you ready to be seated?"

The two minions just hiss at him. "I'll take that as a yes," He smiles nervously at them. "This way." He leads them to the only other table. "Hold these, coat boy," He throws the coats into Leo's hands, including the cane Bruce was holding, which hits Leo's face.

"Hey!" Leo glares at him, his customers staring at impatiently.

"Thank you for coming. I'm Michael, the number one waiter here." Amy pushes open the doors, wearing roller skates and the same outfit as the turtles, but instead of pants, she has a skirt. Her hair is down for once as she's holding a tray with a bottle of champagne on top. The girl skates over to them and pops open the cork. "And this is your pastry chef and wine girl, Amy-"

He suddenly falls, Amy turning to him in confusion. Leo pops up from underneath the table with a smile. "I'll be serving you serpent dudes as my brother serves some other guys I'm sure you've never met."

"What are you doing?" Amy leans in to whisper. "What about the Brutality gang?"

"All taken care of," He whispers, turning back to the gang. "My lovely lady here will be pouring you some quality champagne!"

Mikey grabs Leo's pants, pulling them down. Amy glances down, giggling slightly. Leo scrambles to put them back up, hopping and bumping into the divider, which falls and reveals the other gang. The two groups see each other. The two turn around, cringing as Mikey looks from underneath the table.

"Oh no!"

They glare at each other in hatred, narrowing their eyes. "Come to think of it, maybe we shouldn't have sat you right next to each other," Leo says, making Amy facepalm. They're right in the middle of the gangs as they prepare to fight.

"It's like all they heard was make them fight," Hueso murmurs about the turtles. The two bosses lunge at each other, but they hear a whistle, turning to Amy.

"There's no reason why we can't be civil here," She places her hands on her hips. "You guys wanted a meeting, and you got it. So please, take a seat," Her arms gesture to the tables.

"She's right. Chill!" Leo throws two menus and they catch them, eyeing the menu. "We wouldn't want to damage this fine eating establishment. Besides, it's not good to fight on an empty stomach."

"Or with a dry throat!" Amy recites, pouring the champagne for the Brutalities.

"Who's got six fingers and just saved the day? This guy!" Leo jerks his thumbs to himself, to Mikey's ire.

"Hey," Boss Bruce whistles to Amy as she's skating away. An annoyed look hits her face as she turns around, skating to a stop in front of him and pouring their drinks. "Hello cookie. Tell me, what are you doing tonight?"

"I'll be home. Alone," She narrows her eyes at him as she looks pissed off at his confident tone.

"Aw come on, sweetheart, don't be like that," He nudges his friends, who snicker. Leo sees the scene and glares, walking up to them. He's almost near Amy when she speaks up.

"Do you need me to walk you back?" She smiles sweetly and he looks up in confusion.

"From where?"

"From the friendzone you just tried to escape from."

"Ooo," His enemies jeer from the other as the yokai scowls at Amy.

And with that, she skates away, Leo smiling proudly. He was about to step in, but Amy ended up handling that on her own.

"Hey, buddy," He pats Bruce's back, leaning into his ear. "Flirt with the help again, and I'll portal you to the Hidden City Police."

Bruce growls, but stays silent. He didn't need more charges on his record...

"Who needs menus?" Mikey throws away Beverly's menu. "I see you in a thin crust, swimming in sheep, cheese, and succulent swamp meets," He says in an expert tone, the three staring at him in awe.

"Yes!" Hueso cheers at their happiness.

"Good luck coming up with anything half as good as that, second place!" Mikey brags to Leo, who sighs wearily. "All-time champ of today." Leo growls in annoyance as Mikey dashes away.

"What about us, blue?" Bruce calls out and Leo chuckles nervously. How was he gonna impress them?

"Um..."

Hueso gestures for him to do something, anything. "Yeah, it's all good, chief. I got the perfect thing."

Later, he comes back...

With burnt toast.

Bruce snorts in anger and Leo chuckles while sweating, Hueso facepalming. "Estupido."

"Way to go, orange! I love this guy!" Beverly exclaims at the pizza Mikey just prepared for them. "Come here," She reaches into her coat. "Here's a little something extra for ya," She drops something into his hands.

"Thanks." He opens up his hands to see four unicorns. "No way..." His eyes shine at them. "Four unicorns!"

"Yo chocolate!" Beverly calls out to the kitchen and Amy opens up the doors, wearing her regular Smith's Sweets outfit, but still wearing the skates. "I got something for ya, too. Thanks for the delicious drinks. Your Long Island Eyeball Iced Tea is the best I've ever had." She gives Amy four unicorns.

"All in a day's work, madam," She winks, putting the unicorns in her apron pocket. A dozen other unicorns are already inside there, from the other drinks she gave to both parties. Beverly takes a hold of her hands.

"Us girls gotta stick together, right?"

"Yes, exactly," Amy laughs a bit, trying not to gross out at the yokai's dirty hands. She gives Bruce a look before going back into the kitchen. She stops herself in front of the cake that's half-done. "Note to self, wear gloves from now on."

"Get over here!" Leo drags Mikey away underneath another table. He crosses his arms, raising a skeptical eyebrow at Mikey.

"Gosh, look at how cute they are. Aww!"

"Okay, stop," He pushes the hands away. "By impressing your guys, you showed me up and made me tick my guys off! You remember why we're here, right?"

"Sounds like second place is jelly over my unicorns," Mikey smirks smugly, nuzzling the unicorns.

"This is not a competition!" Leo yells for him to realize his priorities.

"Says the guy with zero unicorns."

"What are we talking about?!" Leo yells in disbelief.

"How come you got something fancy?" Bruce demands to Beverly.

"Maybe this place knows a real mob boss when they meet one!"

They growl into each other's faces and Amy hears the commotion, slamming the doors open. She looks around for Leo and Mikey as Hueso breaks the two bosses up.

"One million apologizes. Is there-"

"We want orange to wait on us!" One of the minions demands and upon hearing this, Mikey bursts out of the cloth.

"Yes!" He cheers as he lands in front of all of them. "More unicorns for Mikey!" He bows in front of the Barbarianisms. "And how may the all-time champ of today be of service to you?"

"HEY, those are my mobsters!" Leo tackles him and Mikey bumps into a table, dropping breadsticks. Leo catches both into his hands, laughing in triumph as he serves them to the serpent gang. They smile and clap and Amy shakes her head slowly. Bruce reaches into his jacket.

"Here you go, kid." Leo's eyes shine at the five unicorns. "Five unicorns. That's one more than four!" It's too bad that he can't use them for his date with Amy tonight, but at least he can have one point over Mikey.

"Shocking," Hueso stares at Leo. "As waiters, they do not totally stink."

"Hey!" Mikey stands up in protest. "That's my bread! That's supposed to be my unicorns!"

"What's that, second place?" Leo smirks, giving Mikey's words back at him. "Oh no, no, last place?"

"Oh, it is on!" Mikey glares at Leo. "Whoever gets the most unicorns is the all-time champ of forever, baby!"

"Bring it, baby!"

They glare at each other like with Bruce and Beverly when they're suddenly picked up into the air by Amy. She drags them back into the kitchen, throwing them onto the ground and slamming the doors shut.

"What the heck was that?!"

"The start of our competition!" Leo answers as the brothers growl at each other.

"ALRIGHT!" She shouts to make them stop, her hair growing slightly wild. They stare at her in fear and she snaps out of it, shaking her hair back to normal. "We only came here to help Hueso. That's all," She walks up to them, glaring at them both. "So here's how this night is gonna go. You two are gonna stop competing and work together, because you are brothers who care about each other-"

"But I'm the all-time champ-"

"I. Do Not. Care," She interrupts Mikey in annoyance, "Because guess what? I had an older brother too, but I didn't get petty enough to compete with him while he was still alive. It's stupid," She stomps past them and snatches a cupcake. "Stress eating! That's all you've been doing instead of actually helping. Now stop distracting me from finishing my job, and do yours!"

She takes a big bite out of the cupcake as she leaves to the other side of the kitchen to finish baking.

Leo and Mikey glance at each other, feeling slightly guilty. "She's right, we shouldn't stress her out," Leo rubs his neck sheepishly...and then he pushes back Mikey to start cooking. Mikey grunts at him and they grab their utensils. Leo chops furiously, creating sandwiches. Mikey makes soup just as fast and Amy peeks in to check on them. They smile widely at her as they continue working and she eyes them suspiciously, moving back to her station. Soon, the two skate outside using trays, holding up plates.

However, they trip due to the rug on the floor. Leo quickly catches the sandwiches, sliding to a stop in front of the Barbarianisms, who clap for him.

Two tables that are reserved for the two brothers have unicorns in them. When Mikey drops the soup, he dives and catches the meal into the bowl, giving it to the Brutalities. Beverly claps and Mikey gets more unicorns than Leo. The opposing sides glare at each other, waiting to see what the other would do next.

Mikey removes the tablecloth, but everything else stays. His customers clap. "Excellent," Beverly smiles at him.

Leo then gives a relaxing massage to Bruce and the tables eventually have to be locked with gates. Leo and Mikey snatch their weapons, causing Amy to look up since she's nearby.

"Hey, what the heck?" She runs up to the door, which slams in her face. She's about to open them when the oven dings. She grunts in defeat, walking away to get the other half of the cake.

The two turtles stand on one opposite end of the cooking table, Amy's back turned to them from the other side of the room.

Leo jumps into the air and slices up vegetables, meat, and cheese, all of them landing perfectly on the pizza. He crosses his arms proudly.

"You guys better put those weapons back when you're done," Amy calls out as she puts strawberry frosting in a frosting bag.

"Oh trust me, we will," Leo narrows his eyes at Mikey, challenging his brother to top him. Mikey flings his whip, cutting toppings, which also land on a pizza perfectly...until a banana peel lands in the middle. He groans at Leo, who's eating a banana. They narrow their eyes at each other, snatching garbage from the trash can and sink.

They throw the items at each other, stopping abruptly when Amy walks by. They smile widely at her and she rolls her eyes at them, walking away. They go back to throwing things, and when they present the dishes to the gangs, they're full of garbage. The two gangs are offended by this.

"No no no no no!" Hueso runs up to them. "My grandma had a saying: Do not get mad, eat cake."

They perk up at the sound of cake, Hueso clapping twice.

Amy kicks open the door, pushing the cake over. She doesn't see the two others counting their tips. "One thousand one, one thousand two. Oh what's this, one thousand three unicorns!"

"Me too," Mikey jerks a thumb at him. "We're dead even! I'm naming all of you George...except you, you're Mikey Jr."

Leo facepalms at the names. Amy walks past the table, coming to a screeching halt when she sees the two thousand and six unicorns.

"What is this?!" She demands, gesturing to them. "Were you guys competing this whole time?!"

They whip their heads around to her. "Nooooooo!" Leo and Mikey smile widely.

"We have the best cake and baker above or below the city," Hueso brags nervously at the strawberry buttercream, blue frosted cake with a red bow at the top. The two groups stare at it in awe and then Hueso trips on a banana peel, dropping the cake on the floor.

The two gangs growl at him. "One day, we will all laugh at this."

One of Beverly's goons snatches him in her hand. "Apparently today is not that day." She holds him upside down.

"Five unicorns to whichever waiter shatters Bonesy into a hundred pieces!" Beverly offers, causing all three of them to look up.

"No way!" Leo denies, crossing his arms. "There's not enough unicorns in the world."

"One hundred unicorns," Bruce offers them.

"Deal!" They perk up, holding their weapons.

"I mean no, I mean deal!" Leo shakes his head, confused on what to choose. "Oh, I'm so conflicted!"

"Please, take the deal! Broken bones are nothing compared to my broken heart if my restaurant was destroyed!" He'd rather be broken than to have his restaurant suffer...

"Guys, we can't destroy Hueso. He has a son!" Amy tells the turtles.

"For the love of brutality, I'll do it then!" Beverly spins Hueso around, throwing him towards the ceiling.

"Not the chandelier!" He panics, but is saved by Mikey's whip. He lands on Mikey's shoulder.

"Sorry chicos, you can't put a price on friendship," He throws the skeleton away. "We got so carried away with our competition, we forgot what really matters!"

Together, the two turtles rip off their outfits. "Punching and kicking bad guys!"

"Yeah!" Leo agrees with him.

"Finally," Amy sighs in relief, pulling out her own weapon.

"As well as not damaging one square inch of my restaurant!" Hueso reminds them.

"Somebody teach these circus clowns a lesson," The two gangs glare down at them. One of the serpent minions jumps up into the air, threatening to bite Leo. He jumps out of the way and ducks from the yokai, eventually kicking him. Mikey pulls a stand out of the way, placing it back neatly. The other serpent attacks him and Mikey dodges him, throwing him into the wall. A picture falls and Leo catches it just before it hits the ground, sighing in relief. He yelps as one of the Brutalities raises a table over him. An electric shock flies by, knocking the table out of her hand. She looks back to see Amy, who waves at her before pointing to Leo, who kicks her. Amy senses a serpent behind her and she spins around, firing electric shocks at him. Hueso pushes a table out of the way as the yokai lands face-straight into the ground. Mikey pushes a chair back in place as the other Brutality minion throws plates at him. Mikey catches them into his hands in a perfect stack.

"Let me get these out of the way!" Hueso takes the stack from him.

Leo swings his sword, making a portal underneath the blonde Brutality minion. She falls through it, landing behind the angry mob bosses. Leo laughs, spinning the sword and holding up the photo. "You're welcome," He throws the picture back onto the wall, Hueso tilting it back to normal. Bruce snaps his fingers while Beverly whistles.

"The two mobs are teaming up! Outnumbered!" Leo gives a worried look.

"No problem!" Mikey places his hands on his hips with a smile as he has an idea. He breaks open the lock.

"Attack!"

The unicorns stampede towards the bosses. "Come on George, George, George, George."

"Okay," Leo and Amy jump out of the way and the two groups are pushed out of the wall.

"George, George, George, George!"

"We get it, dude!" Leo tells him.

"At least we stopped them," Amy smiles a bit.

"Amazing!" Hueso cheers as they stand up. "You dispatched the street thugs and there is no damage at all!"

"I'm sorry we got caught up in the competition, bone man," Leo says, Mikey rubbing his neck in embarrassment. "And you too, Ames."

"Eh, no biggie...I won, anyway," She points up to the ceiling, where there's three nets full of unicorns.

"It was not your fault. It was mine...for calling you two. But you were true friends and did what I asked. You brought no harm to my beautiful-" He stops talking once he sees all the unicorns around.

"...Race you back home. Winner is all-time champ of tomorrow, baby!" Mikey says, running off.

"What? Oh come on!" Leo complains, racing after him.

"Ah, I must lose their phone numbers..." Hueso murmurs, a unicorn popping out of his hair. Amy cringes and gently plucks the unicorn out of his hand.

"...At least they worked hard, Hueso. You owe them that much."

"True, true..." He agrees with her. "I'll send your profits to your shop, senorita...along with theirs."

She nods with a smile. Luckily, the two realized how idiotic they were being before it got too serious...

* * *

"Alright, Leon, you got this," The turtle takes a deep breath as he's waiting outside Amy's bakery. Leo has on a fanny pack so that people would recognize him from the video. A black jacket is on his arm in case the breeze was too much. He's holding a custom-made bouquet...that he asked Mikey for help on. White sheet paper is wrapped around a crepe bouquet shaped like a big cone. Inside the crepe is a chocolate filling with whipped cream, strawberries, blueberries, and edible flowers—lilies. The flowers are held by sticks that are inside the filling, allowing them to be the centerpiece. He would've gotten her favorite flowers, but he didn't want non-edible flowers.

He's biting his fingers as he's never done this before. How's he supposed to know what happens during a date or whatever this was? He had no idea what dating was like! And if Amy doesn't like him, he'll probably lose his chance forever...

Before he can freak out even more, Amy comes out the door. He turns to her and he almost drops the crepe.

Amy is wearing a long-sleeved baby blue sweater, some of it cut out to reveal her neck and shoulders with the front as a v-neckline. Her skirt is ruffled and black, down to her knees. There's a silver cupcake design on the bottom right of the garment. Her boots are ankle-length and black. A baby blue purse is over her right shoulder as a blue pearl necklace sits on her chest. Her hair is done in a chignon bun that rests behind her head, tied with a baby blue bow. Her bangs are left out hanging. She's not wearing any makeup, but Leo could care less about that.

 _She's...wearing my colors...and showing her beautiful legs..._

She smiles softly at him. "Hi Leo."

"H-Here..." He stammers, mentally facepalming himself as he hands over the crepe.

"Oh my god, is this for me?" She asks in awe as she takes it, looking it over. "It looks so yummy! And are these flowers edible?"

"Yeah..." Leo murmurs, taking in her clothing. "I helped with the...decorating..."

"You didn't need to do this, Leo. The test hasn't started yet."

"I know, but I wanted to do something nice for you..."

"Thank you. No one's ever done that for me," She tries to hide her smile as she eats one of the flowers. "Mmm, chocolatey! Just how I like it."

Leo clears his throat. "So...uh, I'm gonna need your, um...your bike keys." Dang it, how could this one girl manage to make him s _tutter?_

"Why?" Amy asks curiously as she slowly puts a fingerful of whipped cream into her mouth. Leo stares at her mouth and looks away before he's tempted further, blushing.

"It's a surprise."

"I finally agree to go on a date with you and you won't tell me?" She smirks in amusement.

"You'll just have to wait and see, my lady," He holds out his hand and she digs into her purse, giving him her motorcycle keys. There are some keychains of her initial in silver glitter, a plastic creampuff, and a pink glitter heart. Leo chuckles in amusement at how much he can tell what her life is like just by her keys alone.

He jumps into the driver's seat and Amy sits behind him, already feeling weird that she's the passenger instead of the driver. He puts on his helmet and puts the spare one over her head. He pulls down the black visor so she can't see through it.

"Are you sure I can trust you with my bike?" He hears as he revs it up.

"Of course you can, pink-a-boo," He salutes with two fingers even though she can't see it. "Just hold on tight and enjoy the ride."

She does as best as she can holding the crepe and they take off, the wind blowing in her hair.

* * *

It takes about 20 minutes or so. She couldn't tell, she still can't see. She just hoped that she would be able to have a good time. Dating...isn't something she does, but she was willing to give Leo a chance to see if she can get used to it. Deep past his flirting, Leo can be pretty genuine and sweet at times...

"Okay, step safely," Leo grins as he helps her off the bike, gripping the arm that's not holding the crepe. His arm is around her waist as she tries to see through the visor, but she can't. "Close your eyes."

"This better be worth it," She sighs slowly and does so.

"Are they closed?"

She only nods and he slowly takes off the helmet, adjusting her bang so that it's neat. He puts the helmet down on the bike and goes back to his spot next to the girl, grinning smugly.

"Okay...open them."

When she does so, she held in a gasp.

The Coney Island sign sits above her, glowing in its glory. "Coney Island...we're going inside Coney Island?!" She covers her mouth in shock, turning to the turtle. "You remembered..."

"I don't know what you're talking about," He smiles confidently and she smiles at him softly. When she mentioned that she would go to Coney Island, she didn't think he'd actually take her there. He unzips the fanny pack and holds up the two tickets. She could already see this going well as they walk inside. Her emerald green eyes take in the sight as Coney Island hasn't changed at all. It's still the same with the happy kids and parents, the mascots, and the boardwalk.

"Are you ready to have fun?" He sweats a bit at the people bumping into them. With this kind of crowd, they could lose each other. Amy feels a slight breeze.

"Kinda chilly out, isn't it?" She asks casually and he nods.

"Yeah. Are you okay? You're not too cold, are you? You are dressed really light, after all," He takes note in her skirt, boots, and the upper half of her open sweater.

"I'm great," She beams at him as someone almost bumps into her. "Really. I couldn't ask for a better place to have a date with you."

He rubs his neck sheepishly at her sincerity.

"If we're hungry, we can get funnel cakes!" Her eyes shine brightly at the thought.

"Funnel cakes?"

"You've never had them?" She asks in slight horror and he shrugs sheepishly. "Oh, that is definitely what we're having. But not now. I wouldn't want you to throw up."

"Yeah..." He mumbles and he takes a hold of her hand. She looks down at their hands in confusion. "Just so we don't lose each other..."

He pulls her forward, not noticing the dusty red on her cheeks. Some people are staring, but only because they recognize them from the tango video from Amy's account. Either way, she didn't seem to care about their looks.

"Oh, why don't we start with this one?" Amy points up to a sign for the tea cups.

"What is this? Is there anything more this piece of junk can do?" Leo asks as once the two are sitting in there. They're moving very slowly, barely spinning even.

"We can make it spin faster," She rolls her eyes at him, amused.

"Yeah, put it to the max or something!" He complains and she laughs, gripping the dashboard.

"Okay then."

Leo hollers in excitement as she makes it go faster, sliding right next to her. Amy's eyes widen as she feels how close he is. "Oh, uh, sorry."

"It's fine," She smiles and when they're done, Leo is excited for another one.

"Oh, that was great! I kinda wanna go again, but let's go try other stuff!" He cheers as she eats a piece of her half-eaten crepe. "Oh, what's that ride over there?"

"Hm?" She glances over to the giant pirate ship and grins.

After they're strapped on, the ship swings back and forth, the two throwing up their arms in excitement. She almost dropped her crepe, but she didn't care. She was...having fun, something she hasn't done since...ever. And she's really grateful that Leo took her here.

"Are you okay?" He asks her once they've stepped off, still holding hands.

"I'm fine!" She insists, smiling. "Let's keep going!"

"Okay," He chuckles at her.

Next they try the Cliff Hanger, which has them in a pair, lying down in a make-shift hang-glider. "Let me know if something is too much, okay?"

"I will!" She tells him honestly, touched at his concern for her. "This is one of my favorites!"

"Then I'm glad we got to ride it together," He smiles at the girl and she beams at him happily.

"I wouldn't have gotten to do it if it wasn't for you. Thank you..."

His heart lit up as he blushes fiercely, looking away. "W-Well, Coney Island is pretty popular..."

She smirks at his reaction and they're lifted slightly into the air as the ride starts. She grips the bars slightly as they start spinning around, as if they're flying around in a circle. They both cheer in excitement at the wind blowing in their faces.

"That was so fun! Better than last time I was here!" Amy grins as she grips his arm and he stiffens at her touch. "Leo?"

She sees him frozen and waves a hand in front of his face. "Are you okay?"

"F-Fine! I'm fine!" He stammers and she tilts her head in confusion.

"You look like you were about to pass out. Was it the ride? I thought you were having fun."

"I am!" He hides his previous expression with a grin.

"Maybe we should play games. We'll go on more rides later," She suggests and he nods slowly. He takes the lead again as he leads her away, the girl staring at him in confusion.

 _It's like he's a whole different person...not that it's a bad thing, but I don't want him to change just for the sake of today._

"Oh, I can definitely beat this," Leo brags at a shooting game. Amy looks at all the prizes and her eyes widen at the large teddy bear with a black bow tie. "You wanna try?"

"Alright," She grins as she stands next to him. She hands the vendor enough for the both of them. Leo goes first...and he misses the teddy bear by one.

"Tough luck, man. You can always try again. It's only 10 dollars to refill."

"10 dollars?! You trying to rob us, man?!" Leo exclaims in shock. "I thought I could've won you something...Here," He hands the toy gun to the girl. She slowly points the gun...

A few minutes later, Leo is pouting as Amy hugs the teddy bear, having won it. "Are you sure you don't want me to carry your prize for you?" He mumbles and she looks at him.

"I can manage," It's so big that she can barely see past it. Luckily Leo's still holding her hand or she would've gotten lost a long time ago. "It's okay, Leo! I'm sure you'll find something else to win. And besides, it doesn't matter that you didn't win me anything. I'm having the best night ever!"

"I promise, I'll win something for you! It's your favorite place, and I want you to have all the souvenirs you can get!" He says in determination.

"...Okay," She smiles at him. "Just no unicorn onesies."

"One day," He winks at her. "Besides, all animals are adorable, stop teasing me." Except maybe Chewbacon, but he wouldn't dare say that out loud.

"I know. If you like unicorn onesies, it's fine. You don't have to hide that with me," She looks past the bear to grin at him. "And I happen to like unicorns anyway."

He blushes slightly and she looks at the bear with a wide smile. "This bear is so big and warm! So adorable! My cinnamon roll!"

She's acting like a kid in a candy store, but he didn't care. He actually...likes this side of her. She's not worrying about work or her mother. She looks...relaxed and happy. Which is so unlike her, but it doesn't bother him. He'd prefer it if he got to see her childish side more often like tonight. It was pretty cute.

"Anyway, have you noticed some people staring at us?" Leo whispers to her as he glances around.

"Yeah. Probably because of that video of us...dancing..." Amy hides a blush, hiding her face into the back of her bear.

"Have you even seen the video?"

"...I have..." She scratches her nose nervously.

 _Maybe I shouldn't have brought that up. It's probably personal and making her uncomfortable..._

"Let's try another game before we get those funnel cakes," He smiles softly at her. They approach a game where you have to knock over the rocket by shooting tennis balls. Amy pays for only Leo to play so that she won't beat him again. Leo sticks his tongue out.

 _I have to win this time so that she can have a good experience like she did all those years ago!_

He fires several of the tennis balls and grunts when he keeps missing. But finally, _finally_ , at the last tennis ball, he hits the rocket...but it's not knocked over. He groans at this and Amy turns to the vendor in shock.

The words 'you lose' keep appearing in Leo's brain as he reads them.

"Hey, he hit that! I saw it with my own eyes!"

"Well, you see how it's not knocked over?" He leans in close to her, smiling widely. His foot is dangerously close to the red button that's actually controlling the rocket. "Sorry for your date, but I guess he's not good enough to win it for ya!"

Her mouth drops open at his attitude over the situation. Her eyes then glance over to Leo, who's sulking.

"I can't do it...I'm not good enough to win you anything, Amy. I'm sorry."

Her eyes then narrow and she shocks Leo as she punches the vendor in the nose, knocking him out.

"Ames...?" He murmurs in confusion at the unconscious man. Amy snatches the big prize, a unicorn, before storming off. Leo looks between the man and then her, racing after the brunette. Her hand is not even bruised. "W-What just happened?"

"That jerk doesn't know worthy when he sees it. I didn't even break a sweat punching him, I hope he gets mutated," She huffs and his eyes widen as he realizes the reason for her action. She...actually thought that he would win...

He just smiles, deciding not to say anything about it. Sure, it was stealing, but by the time he woke up, he wouldn't be able to find them. And he could just replace them anyway...

"This looks interesting," Leo grins as he looks at the funnel cake in front of them. It's decorated with white powder.

"Go ahead and try it!" Amy encourages him as she pays the cashier, both of them walking off. Leo breaks off a piece as they explore the place. He puts the warm doughnut in his mouth and his eyes close in delight.

"Wow, this is great!"

"I'm glad you like them!" Amy smiles and he takes another bite.

"They're kinda like doughnuts. Have you ever tried baking them?"

"Technically, they are doughnuts. And...no. You can't get them as good as these are," Amy points to his plate, breaking off a piece to take a bite herself. "At least, that's how I feel."

"That's not true, anything you make tastes delicious," He denies as he hums at the taste of the doughnut.

"Ha, thanks," Amy laughs at him. Leo puts some on a fork and holds it out to her mouth since she's holding two gift bags and two big prizes. They had stopped at the gift shop first. "Nom!" Amy swallows it from the fork, smacking her lips. "Ah, can't go wrong with powdered sugar."

"You should make some," He tells her honestly, "That way I can just ask you instead of buying them."

"Hardy har har," She retorts at his reasoning. "Maybe. I don't know."

"If you do, I'll help," He winks at her. "We've baked before, we can do it again."

"Sure," She smiles at the offer and he looks away. _She mentioned that she hasn't been here for a long time. I wonder if she missed it so much that she tried to go? I never really questioned it until now, huh...a girl who clearly has money to visit, so I never thought it was a big deal._

"Why didn't you come here on your own?" He wonders and she pauses in her bite. "Was that personal? But...tell me."

Amy swallows what was left of her doughnut. "I don't really know. Maybe it was because the last time I was here, it was with my family. And...I didn't want to come here alone to be reminded of that."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be!" She shakes her head rapidly. "I wish I came here sooner, but thanks to you, I'm having fun!" She smiles at him warmly. "So don't worry about it, okay?"

"Right..."

"It gets so dark quickly around this time of year," She looks up at the darkening sky. "Let's wait for the food to settle before we go on another ride."

"You doing okay with everything?" He asks her, taking the unicorn plush.

"Yeah! The bear is fuzzy and warm, so it helps with the chill. You know...I was a bit hesitant about this...date."

"Really?" He asks in amusement and if she could, she'd kick him.

"Shut up. But I'm glad I said yes. And it's really nice being here," She admits slowly. He blushes at her confession and looks away. Maybe...maybe they could do this again...

* * *

Later they decide to ride the Ferris wheel, the two saying nothing as they're sitting next to each other. They're looking away from each other, not sure of what to say. The sun is setting as they come to a sudden stop. She glances down to see more people boarding, hugging her bear. Leo glances at her and grins a little at how cute she looks hugging that thing. It was almost like she didn't want to let go of it.

He places his hand on top of hers and she blushes at his warmth, which is probably more than the bear. Slowly, she gains the confidence to link her fingers with his.

Leo stares at her as she's avoiding his gaze, glancing at a piece of paper in his hand. He's held onto it the entire time. He wrote down what to say so that she'll like him more, hoping it would work. He really liked her...

"You are a beautiful, beautiful woman," He finally speaks up smoothly, her eyes widening as she turns to him fully. He glances at the paper near him. "You are the epitome of grace. Feminine, like a flower. You're my best friend."

"Why are you talking like that?" She raises an eyebrow.

"Uh, hold on," He looks away, looking at the paper. "When I'm with you, every day is Valentine's Day." Due to the wind, the paper almost flies out of his hand, but he catches it anyway. "Except the real Valentine's Day, which we will now call Super Valentine's Day."

"What's that in your hand?" She asks suspiciously as she looks at his left arm, tilting her head to try and peek.

"No!" He immediately denies, but she snatches the paper, reading it.

"What all women want to hear? What woman wants to hear stuff like this?" She questions in disbelief. "Is that why you've been acting weird? You're a teenager, you don't need stuff like this. Just do what comes natural, Leo," She crumbles up the paper. "Be yourself, your real self. Not this tacky crap." She throws the paper out into the sky.

He chuckles at her slight rant. "Okay, okay. Point taken. I'll keep that in mind for next time."

"Good." _Next time? I hadn't even thought of that. But it would be great to do something like this again...even if it is Leo._

Leo smiles for what seemed like the sixth time, but this time it was needed. She doesn't care how he acts, and accepts him for his real self.

Now if only she'd said that hours ago. He's never gonna live this down.

"Look!" Amy suddenly gasps as she points up to the sky. Pops of color hit his vision and he sees that there's fireworks in the sky. The girl smiles at the beautiful sight. Every Fourth of July, she'd get to light up all kinds of fireworks with her family. That specific memory wasn't going to bring any of them back, but seeing them again...brought her a small touch of hope. Hope that her mother would remember her someday...

Leo stiffens when he feels soft hair touching his shoulder. Amy notices it and looks up at him, pulling away a bit. "S-Sorry."

He tries not to smile as he shakes his head. "It's okay, my lady."

"I-I didn't realize that you'd be uncomfortable with it," She murmurs, slightly cringing. _Agh, why did I do that?! I should've asked him first! Gah, for some reason, I'm a stuttering mess all of a sudden._

"No, really. I'm fine. Come here," He smiles and wraps his arm around her, putting her back against his chest. Amy smiles and they continue watching the fireworks.

* * *

When Leo arrives back to her place, both of them are grinning. After a few more rides and games, they both agreed to go home as it looked like it was going to rain. He took her advice and wouldn't stop cracking his one-liners. She laughed at every single one, and he couldn't be happier that she wasn't annoyed by them.

Amy holds out her hand as she feels the water droplets hitting them. She quickly puts the souvenirs inside and runs back to her bike, pulling out her umbrella.

"At least it wasn't raining when we were there," She says in relief as she opens it, covering herself with the black umbrella. Leo hesitates as he's still sitting in the driver's seat, not sure if he wanted this night to be over.

"Hey."

He looks up at Amy as she's smiling, holding out her hand. Leo looks between her and her hand, drawn to her gentle smile as the droplets are slowly running down his streaks. She keeps up her smile, as if silently telling him to join her.

Leo slowly steps up to her, standing right in front of her. He takes a hold of her hand. "You know...I've never had fun until tonight. Not like this. Never had time. This whole...date thing...is all new to me..."

He blinks at her, never realizing until now how different she was today. She hadn't laughed as much, or scream in excitement, or snuggle a teddy bear plush like she did. And...despite her rough exterior, she can actually be pretty nice...and sweet.

Suddenly, the umbrella closes, capturing the two inside. They both gasp in shock at the sudden closeness before Leo starts laughing. Amy lifts up the umbrella, giggling herself at how funny it was.

"Heh heh, that'll never get old," She wipes a stray tear away from her eye. She then notices that Leo has been oddly silent for a while as he stares at her.

"...Leo?"

He glances at the umbrella and then at her. His hands slowly move to her shoulders, looking focused.

"M-My lady, may I kiss you?"

"H-Huh?" She squeaks a little at his sudden forwardness, her face turning red. Despite it being unexpected, she actually didn't feel bothered by the request. In fact...she had been thinking about it for a while too.

She looks downwards, occupying her left hand with her skirt. "W-Well..."

Amy peeks up at him and then nods slowly.

He leans forward, gliding his hands to rest on her cheeks. "Are you sure?"

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't have said yes," She points out, smiling weakly.

He stifles a laugh, his thumb stroking her right cheek. They lean in towards each other as she can feel her heartbeat. Their sense of inexperience is ignored as their lips finally meet and their eyes close.

Amy lets out a soft sigh, dropping her umbrella to hug his neck. She can hear the low rumble of his purring as one of his hands runs down her shoulder and to her side. He strokes her back while the other hand combs through her damp hair.

If she could, she'd purr too. She holds the kiss, pulling him closer, receiving a small mewl in response.

She holds back a moan as Leo massages her back gently, any hesitation faded a while ago. He's so gentle, enough to make her melt. His movements are firm and soft.

The kiss itself was not perfect—they are in the rain, after all—but everything else easily makes up for it.

After what feels like forever, yet not long enough, they pull away, still remaining close. Amy takes a moment to breathe before Leo gets weak at the knees, fainting right then and there. She giggles at his reaction and bends down, carrying him to her bike. She takes her keys back and starts up the motorcycle. He must've waited so long if he had to faint at how great the kiss was.

She didn't really see it as a problem if she had to be honest. She finds it adorable.

Not that she'll let it slip...tonight.

* * *

 _Ugh, what time is it?_ Leo slowly opens his eyes. They widen as he realizes he's in his bedroom. Was it all...just a dream? No, there's no way, because it's past 8, which was when he had his test date with Amy...

 _Oh no, I never got the confirmation if she wanted to continue...us. She probably won't ever give me a chance again..._

His phone buzzes and he looks to see a new message. His hand shakes as he sees that it's from Amy. He clenches his phone as he picks it up, staring at the screen. He stifles a gasp. Her text officially said it all, and changed everything.

 _Hope you're doing well. I'll see you soon. And Leo?_

 _I don't regret this. I don't regret you. So...I'm saying yes._

 _Let's continue...whatever this is._


	34. How to Make Enemies and Bend People TYW

**Angel: Alright guys, this is the last update for a while. I'll be back in July, but not sure on when I'm coming back. Also, sorry about the episode title, it's too long to put all the words in, so I had to shorten it. By the time Mystic Library will come out, I'll already be gone, so you'll have to wait for it. Bye everyone!**

The Foot Shack has been closed for the night, with the entire Foot Clan behind closed doors. About a hundred candles are surrounding them in their lair as they bow to the dark armor of the Shredder. "In honor of your obedient service to the forces of evil..." Foot Brute starts off.

"We bestow upon you the most noble and dignified marker of the Foot Clan," He drops something inside an orange fat, which turns into a large monster. Jocelyn, a blonde initiate, is smiling widely as she's about to be made a member of the Foot Clan. The monster kicks her away and she looks to see the orange foot over her face.

"Yes!" She smiles happily, the other initiates murmuring in glory over their new ranks.

"Pure insanity," Baron Draxum watches in disdain over the whole thing.

"Yes, I can't believe they promoted Jocelyn over me!" Foot Recruit gestures to herself in jealously. "I know her parents are big donors, but come on!"

"Why must I waste my time watching your ridiculous ceremony?" Baron Draxum asks Foot Lieutenant in annoyance. He should be _running_ this sad clan, but instead, he has to do stuff like this. "I was promised the dark armor!"

"And the armor you shall have," Foot Lieutenant narrows his eyes at him. "Once we have retrieved it all."

"And once you become a full member of the Foot Clan," Foot Brute adds in.

"Yes, the legends state that only those who have proven their loyalty can wield the armor's power," Foot Lieutenant recites.

"Then make me a member!" Baron Draxum demands, gesturing to the armor. "Immediately! And I will restore the yokai's dominance over humans!"

"Oh sorry boss," Huginn is flying behind him, holding a scroll. "There's a rising through the ranks process and right now, you're at...uh, rank zero," He shows the paper to the annoyed Draxum.

"That's the worst," Muninn comments, almost feeling bad for Draxum.

"Why are _my_ gargoyles telling _me_ what rank?" If anything, they should be at the same rank as him, since they're a group.

"Because we got promoted from toenail to tenderfoot," Huginn explains, throwing away the scroll. "We're rank two now."

"Hey, show me what I look like with a foot on my face!" Muninn flies over to Huginn, who kicks his face and holds up a mirror to show him. "Aw, I look sweet!"

"They outrank me? Unacceptable!" With his purple fists, he slams the ground, causing a crash. His own minions being above him? He is above them, all of them.

"I know you think the irrational outbursts will get you on our good side, but there is still a process," Foot Lieutenant says thinly, meaning that threats and anger won't get him anywhere.

"Fine. What do I do to reach rank 2?"

* * *

"What is this place?" Baron and Foot Recruit are at Coffee Le Gume...getting coffee.

For everyone.

"Are we here to reign waste to these pathetic humans?!" He holds out his hand, ready to attack. He did it to one human, he can certainly do it to others.

"No...we're here to get coffee for the entire Foot Clan. And a vegan coconut scone for the boss," Foot Recruit informs him, meaning she's done this before.

"Draxum is no errand boy," Draxum grits his teeth, Foot Recruit kicking a tray out of a customer's hands.

"To take become a full member of the Foot, one must show commitment, and patience. I have been in training since I was seven!" She takes a fighting pose.

"Madness!" Draxum shouts loudly at the thought of showing two idiots commitment and patience. "Baron Draxum takes what he needs, now!" He projects purple orbs at the menu, which slides into a cup of coffee. The two baristas glance at it before coffee shoots out of the cup, scaring both of them. A yokai emerges in front of them and everyone freaks out, running away. The two baristas stare up at the monster wide-eyed, dashing away from the already-prepared coffee. The yokai takes it and Foot Recruit gasps, impressed by what Draxum has done.

"I have been doing this all wrong!" She grins widely with sparkles in her eyes.

"Indeed," Baron sips a cup of coffee, glancing at her. "Waiting is for fools."

* * *

"I have completed your menial task," He announces when they arrive back at the Foot Shack. "When do I get the dark armor?"

"Oh, I'm glad you asked," Foot Lieutenant grins with a piece of scone in his mouth. Foot Brute is sipping some coffee near him. "We've got a retrieve mission tonight. And, thanks to your excellent performance, other than the scones which are a little stale." He throws away the scone.

"For you, Strike Squad Special Force Delta!" Foot Brute finishes, to Foot Recruit's glee.

"I was born for Strike Squad Special Force Delta! I shall cleave our foes in twain!" She picks up a baseball bat and swings it.

"Okay, love the enthusiasm," Foot Lieutenant comments, "But actually, your assignment is..."

* * *

"Lookout support duty?!" Foot Recruit exclaims in disbelief as they're at a botanical garden. "We're the lookouts for the lookouts?!"

Baron doesn't look too pleased either, as the lookouts are not even looking out. "This is beneath us."

Foot Recruit scoffs, hugging herself. "You know...I was accepted to every clan I applied to!"

"With my powers, I should be in charge of this clan! Surely there must be some way to take control from them..."

"Ha!" Foot Recruit chuckles at the thought. As far as she knew, it's never been done. "Unlikely. According to our laws, one can only take control of the Foot Clan by succeeding where the leaders have failed. And my senseis do not fail."

"Hmm...we shall see."

She raises an eyebrow, wondering just what is on his mind.

A couple of oozesquitoes are gathered around a fountain. "Our research says the armor piece is hidden in one of these statues," Foot Lieutenant raises an eyebrow at the three statues in the center of the area outside the garden.

"I guess Draxum might get his wish soon," Foot Brute comments, "If he can prove his worth."

The two glance to each other before bursting into laughter. The day Draxum gets up to their level is the day that pigs fly. No one's ever surpassed them before, and Draxum was no exception, what with his outbursts and all.

Foot Lieutenant pulls out a large shuriken, which is actually a scanner for the dark armor piece. He scans the first one, only to come up with nothing. Draxum watches them from afar, turning and seeing other lights waving around from the greenhouse. By the looks of it, they weren't the same spotlights in the back.

"What's going on there?" He uses his binoculars, as does Foot Recruit, to see the turtles and Amy. They seem to be looking for something.

"Hai. I will alert the lookouts," Foot Recruit turns around, doing loud bird calls. Draxum silences her by putting vines over her mouth.

"Stop that!" He shouts in annoyance. "If we want to improve our rank, we must handle this ourselves..."

The two jump over the garden, hiding behind a large flower bush as there's an awful stench nearby.

"Smell it, smell it, smell it, smell it, smell it!" The three turtles chant to Raph, who's standing in front of the largest flower in the botanical garden. Everyone but Donnie has a nose pin, instead he has a gas mask over his face. Amy is tinkering with her bike near them, also wearing a nose pin. She's adding some gas to it, shaking her head. A cup of coffee from Coffee Le Gume sits nearby and she sips it.

"I can't believe I drove all the way out here for this. I'm a baker, not a mother to four kids..."

"What are they doing?" Baron asks slowly.

"No doubt a cunning plan to disrupt our mission to get the dark armor," Foot Recruit narrows her eyes at them. Baron just glances at her, obviously they're not doing any of the sort.

"What do you say, Raph?" Donnie steps up to his brother. "Do you have the guts to sniff the stinkiest plant on Earth, the corpse flower?"

"Some say it smells like a mummy, wrapped in a zombie, dipped in long forgotten milk," Leo says with a grin and Amy snorts at him. He hears it and pouts at her, hands on his hips. She was just glad that she was technically going out with him, or else he would give her a bunch of one-liners right now.

He glances at the other turtles. He or Amy hadn't told them, because no one would believe them...and potentially laugh at their faces. Both of them could mutually agree that they would stay silent about it right now.

"I'll sniff it...like a boss!" Raph tugs at the petals, his nose pin falling off as he takes a big whiff. He shouts in disgust, his face and eyes turning purple. He then vomits on the ground.

"Splinter doesn't pay me enough for stuff like this," Amy grumbles as she stares at Raph. "Gross."

"Alright! He wharfed! He owes Amy five bucks now! Me next, me next, me next!" Mikey bounces around in excitement.

"Are you really gonna do this?" Amy walks up to Leo, crossing her arms.

"Mm. Nah," He takes a hold of her hand. "My lady needs me more."

She rolls her eyes at him, giving a small smile. She wouldn't dare try it, bet or not. Mikey glances at them. "What are you two doing?"

Panic rises within them as they quickly release their hands. "Nothing!"

"Mm," Donnie looks at them suspiciously and they start sweating in unison. He shrugs it off and they sigh in relief.

"Right..." Amy rubs her neck sheepishly once the other turtles aren't paying attention.

"Forgot about that," Leo grins in embarrassment.

"I have plans for the girl," Baron Draxum smirks, holding up an Oozesquito, but this one is different from all the others, because the ooze inside is purple, and not green.

"I cannot wait to see what she turns into!" Foot Recruit grins evilly, clenching her fists.

"It won't mutate her," Baron rolls his eyes at her. "You'll see..."

"It must be a trap," Foot Recruit watches them intensely. "But if there's one thing I learned from you, it's that we get nothing from waiting!" She bursts out of the bush. "FOOT CLAN! Vermin, prepare to taste my wrath!" She pulls out a sword, but they duck and she slices the flower in half, spraying her in the stench. She shudders in disgust. "This...is...a trap..."

"Ah ha, no, that was all you," Leo points at her.

"Wow, she went all in on the stink! Nice work, frenemy," Mikey compliments and Amy crosses her arms.

"If we wanted to trap you, they'd come up with something more stupid," She huffs and she realizes something, her eyes widening. "Guys, if she's here, that must mean-"

Foot Recruit lets out a scream, chasing around Raph. He runs, but mostly to get away from the smell. Leo and Amy are hugging a tree while Donnie is near the now destroyed flower.

"Ah! Get away from me! Ewwwww!"

Baron moves into the shadows, chuckling with a sinister grin as he gets away.

Outside, Foot Lieutenant is still scanning for the armor piece. "So, her senseis never fail, eh?" Baron asks confidently as he watches the man. "We'll see about that," He pulls the fire alarm, alerting the groundskeepers from their slumber.

"Listen up!" The lead groundskeeper bursts into the room. "Botanical garden security force alpha!"

They put on their hats, shoes, and fanny packs, arming themselves with gardening tools. "There's a protocol emergency!"

"An alarm? In a botanical garden?" Foot Brute asks in confusion.

"I'm sure our soldiers can handle a few groundskeepers," Foot Lieutenant shrugs it off. They suddenly hear yelling, looking up to see the men running towards them, weapons or vehicles ready. "GET 'EM!"

The Foot soldiers form into two lines in front of their senseis, holding swords, but they're ultimately defeated when the leader slams down the rake, knocking all of the ninjas to the ground.

"I will grind you into fertilizer!" He hears Foot Recruit's voice, knowing exactly where it's coming from.

"The Corpse Flower," He looks towards the greenhouse. Foot Recruit is still chasing Raph inside. "Protect the begonias! I'll save Jewel!" He runs like a madman, a crazy look on his face. "This is what you've been training for, Harold!" Smoke is left behind as he enters the building.

Foot Recruit and Raph clash with their respective weapons. "You'll never stop us from collecting the dark armor!"

"Hold on, stinky, that's what you're doing here?" Leo asks from the tree.

"There's a dark armor piece here?" Amy questions in surprise. A Foot soldier suddenly crashes in from outside, knocking into Foot Recruit. They look outside the broken window to see the Foot Clan.

"Oh no. Guys, I think that's the issue we should be focused on," Raph points outside and they rush to get over there, Foot Recruit following. Harold slides to the dead Jewel.

"Jewel!" He holds a big orange petal covered in the stench, sniffing it. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The turtles and Amy rush past Huginn and Munnin, who are relaxing in the lake. "Were those the turtles and the girl Baron's so determined to recruit?" Huginn lifts himself up, dropping his lemonade in the water. "Should we alert the Foot?"

"Come on, I mean, they'll see 'em in a sec."

"I love the way you think," Huginn grins, pointing to his friend. "We'll be rank three in no time..."

The five burst into the botanical garden, Foot Recruit being pulled away by Baron's vines. "Trust me, our rank is about to skyrocket." They simply watch as a full-blown fight breaks out.

"Tonfa Power Jitsu!" Raph projects a fist from his weapon, knocking some ninjas out.

"Archimedes!" Donnie flies on his rocket bo staff, throwing Leo.

"Odachi~!" He knocks himself right into Foot Brute, sliding against the ground and near Foot Lieutenant.

"I know you get nervous when I rush you, but we gotta hurry!" He calls out to his partner. He scans the last statue, and the piece is right in the chest.

"Got it! It's in this one!"

Mikey's whip suddenly captures the scanner, pulling him away from the statue. Baron and Foot Recruit watch as Amy tap dances around several soldiers, electrocuting them. He chuckles evilly at how well his plan is forming. They suddenly hear panting, turning to the panicked Harold.

"You're gonna make it, Jewel! Stay with me! Stay with me!" Tears prick his eyes and Baron chuckles.

"Oh, she'll stay with you, alright," Two vines come from the platform he's standing on, about a dozen oozesquitoes flying behind him. He points to Harold and they fly towards him.

"What is-" He suddenly gets bit by all of them. "Ow! Alright, well this is one way," He slowly mutates. "Okay, here we are." His arms and legs turn green as he forms into a flower yokai, with a flower for a face.

"Ahh," Leo stares up at it in shock.

"Uh oh," Raph comments with wide eyes.

"Cripes," my mutters at this.

"Jumping juniper!" Harold looks at his hands. "I'm in full bloom!" His hands emit brown vines, the five dodging them all.

"Smelly plant, cool. Smelly plant with legs, not as cool!" Mikey comments at the new mutant.

"Get off the geraniums! Let my people grow!" He spits out goo, which Mikey dodges by spinning his whip, the flames blocking them. A stray flame lands near Amy's boot and she yelps, Raph stomping on it.

"Michael, what did we say about mystic flame on highly vegetative areas?" Raph scolds and Mikey smiles sheepishly, stopping the whip.

"Oh right." Distracted, he gets hit with the goo, as do the others.

"Not again," Raph whines, his eyes widening in horror as they're covered in the smell. "Not again!"

"Oh nohoho, this is worse than Raph's 'I found cheese in the bottom of my shell' stink!" Leo complains, Amy gagging at her dirty clothes.

"Ew, ew, ewwwwwww!"

"Surprise!" Harold says as he keeps spitting goo.

"Stinkbomb's gotta be my favorite and least favorite mutant all at once!" Mikey replies, Amy sitting up in confusion.

"Stinkbomb?"

"You know, because he can spray us with the stink like a bo-"

"We get it," She facepalms at this.

Donnie is gagging in his face mask as he's hiding behind something. "Note to future self: equip tech bo with nose plugs!" He glances at Stinkbomb again to see it shooting out more goo, this time at everyone around him. The Foot soldiers and groundskeepers pass out due to the smell.

Baron and Foot Recruit see the damage as they're floating over to the statue.

"My nose, oh my precious nose," Leo holds his nose and Baron sees Amy shuddering.

"And now, I release," He makes another purple vine.

While Amy is shaking off the stench, the purple vine with the modified oozesquito approaches her. Leo hears the sound and looks up, seeing the danger.

"Look out!" He screams, rushing to his feet and running towards her. She turns around, but it's too late as when the oozesquito passes by, it releases purple spores right into Amy's face. The girl coughs, covering her mouth with her arm as her eyes get a little puffy. Draxum grins as Leo rushes over to her.

"Mellie, you okay?" Raph asks as he can hear the coughing.

"You don't look like you're about to mutate," Leo murmurs as he checks over her.

"I'm fine," She waves it off, still coughing.

Baron and Foot Recruit are lifted to the statue, where the golden piece of armor lays. "Would you like to do the honors?" Baron stares at her.

Her eyes widen slowly. "Calima!" She snatches it.

* * *

At the Foot Shack, the new piece glistens, the Foot Soldiers bowing. Foot Lieutenant and Foot Brute also bow, yet it's forced as they're tied up in purple vines.

"So, Draxum," He looks up at the warrior scientist nervously, regretting what they said about him earlier. "We, uh, we have some good news about your potential in this organization."

"Yeah, really good news," Foot Brute smiles anxiously.

"Silence!" A vine slaps them across the face. "I have accomplished with one assistant what you couldn't accomplish with an entire clan!"

"Assistant?" Foot Recruit looks up at him in confusion. "But I thought we were partners."

He puts a finger to her lips, silencing her. "By the laws of the Foot Clan, I am now your leader." The other soldiers cheer. "We strike again on Monday!"

"Oh, Monday's a holiday, can we strike again on Tuesday?" Huginn reminds him. Muninn winces at this suggestion.

"Ooo, you know, Baron's got a haircut on Tuesday. You know how they never get it right on the first pass."

"Yeah, and then you go to Wednesday, might as well write off the rest of the week."

"Enough!" Baron shouts, silencing them. "Plans will commence the following Monday, and I'll hear no more about it!"

* * *

"Why would that bug not mutate you?" Mikey asks, tilting his head at Amy as they stand up. He then gasps, pointing at her. "Oh mi gosh, she's becoming a turtle!"

"Mikey, that's Leo's hand on my shoulder," Amy rolls her eyes at him.

"Oh."

"Draxum probably made that one so it wouldn't mutate..." Donnie rubs his chin.

"Why? She's a human, and he mutates them. That's his thing," Raph crosses his arms.

"Oh, he had a reason," Amy glares to where the vines came from, rubbing at her eyes. "And whatever that is, we'll find out soon enough..."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Leo whispers to her and she nods slowly.

* * *

Leo sighs in content as he looks up at the ceiling after a LONG shower. He couldn't wait for his next date with his lady. Just being near her would be perfect. Their last date was wonderful...and it ended with a perfect first kiss in the rain.

Wait...did he even remember how he got back?

The red-slider sits up as he recalls the past events. He took Amy to Coney Island, rode some rides, got some prizes, ate some funnel cake, and she reassured him that he could be himself. He drove her home and it was raining, and they got stuck underneath an umbrella, which was the funniest part. He asked if he could kiss her, she said yes, and then...

Well, the rest was a blur.

He knew that his brothers didn't play a part in taking him home, he didn't even tell them that they were on a date. For one, they wouldn't believe him and laugh. And two, he and Amy would agree that when the time is right, they can brag about it to everyone. At least, he thinks that she agrees. He hadn't spoken about it to her yet.

So if it wasn't his brothers, Splinter, or April...who took him ho-

He gasps sharply and checks the time, dashing out of the lair past his brothers, who don't notice him leaving. They're too preoccupied with their own things.

Amy hums as she's closing up. Remembering her test date with Leo, she smiles softly. She was so happy that she got to visit Coney Island again. Leo could actually be sweet...past the one-liners and nicknames, he's a good person.

And this time, she meant it.

He's done so much for her that she's wondering if he got replaced with an alien. Something tells her that's not the case, though, and that Leo actually did all those nice things for her. Listening to her problems, helping with her mother, attempting to save her earlier...making sure she's okay.

She kinda liked having a turtle nurse.

As she's about to take off her apron, her phone rings. She picks it up from the counter, turning to the loft door. "Hello? Leo? Yes, I'm at the bakery. Huh? Look outside?"

Doing what she's told, she turns to the glass door, her eyes widening to see a panting Leo. It's raining as the water droplets fall down his face.

She immediately rushes out and opens the door. "Leo, what are you doing? It's pouring out here. Come on inside," Amy pulls him, closing the door once he silently walks in. She looks around to make sure no one's watching, closing the curtains. Leo doesn't say a word as he stands there and she rushes past him. "Did you run all the way over here? I'll get a towel."

"No, don't," He suddenly speaks up, grabbing her arm to stop her.

"But you're soaking we-"

"My lady," He interrupts sharply and she closes her mouth, wondering why he's using that tone. "When we kissed last night, what happened?"

"Well...you fainted, so I took you home. Everyone else was already asleep, so I left."

Leo sighs slowly. "I want a do-over kiss."

"A what? You mean like a second one?" Her face burns at how a second one could compare.

"Yes. A second first kiss, that I won't faint at!"

"Um..." Amy leans against the counter, thinking it over. He sounded really guilty over last night, and she wasn't going to argue that she kinda wanted to kiss him again...there was something about his lips that made her melt, and she liked that feeling...

"Okay...you ca-"

Before she can finish her sentence, her face is pulled to face Leo, feeling warm and soft lips collide with her own. A soft sound of surprise escapes her mouth, but Leo doesn't take his mouth away, holding her cheeks tenderly. Amy closes her eyes as Leo kisses her sweetly, pulling her upwards so that she's sitting on the counter.

Her fingers dig into the marble as her lips were dominated by him. With all her courage, she slowly kisses back, leaning into the kiss. Their lips move together in sync as Amy tries not to swoon at how romantic the moment was.

Leo takes it one step further as he slowly leans forward, pushing her gently so that she's laying on top of the counter. Her hat falls onto the floor with a soft thump. He continues to kiss her deeply, their mouths moving perfectly against another. Amy's running out of breath, but she didn't want to pull away. Just a quick gulp of air. A quick one.

She parts her lips slowly, inhaling a quick amount of air before a sudden tongue slips through, startling her. Now within her undiscovered mouth, Leo is free to roam around and make himself comfortable.

Amy gasps softly, her cheeks a crimson color by now as Leo dominated her mouth, taking full control. She suddenly feels hands on her waist, softly lifting up the apron. He roams her dress with his hands, Amy cupping his cheeks. The kiss becomes deeper and the movements with their tongues grow heated. Their saliva mixing, their breath exchanging into their mouths and something growing inside them.

Without a sense of control, Amy melts and lets out a moan between the kiss, surprising and startling herself instantly. Leo pulls away, a strand of saliva between them. A soft pant escapes his mouth as he stares down at her.

"Wow," He breathes out, Amy chuckling. His voice sounds a bit raspy and out of breath, something that she secretly adores.

"Yeah..." She lets him help her sit up on the counter.

"Dove," Leo starts off, brushing away her bang. "About...what we're doing, you didn't tell anyone, did you?"

"No," She shakes her head. "I didn't. I don't want April to freak out...yet."

He stifles a laugh, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I think we can both agree that we won't tell anyone until we're ready."

"A secret fling?" She hums in delight. "I like the sound of that."

"Me too," He pecks her lips quickly.

"That was a good way to start."

"I wouldn't call that a second first kiss. More like our first makeout, hm~?" He lightly pressed his lips against her neck.

"Do you need another do-over?" She lifts an eyebrow in amusement.

"I think I do, dove," He murmurs, lifting his head up to kiss her again. And so starts their secret rendezvous.


	35. Mystic Library

**Angel: Hey guys, I'm back. I'm actually on time too, because I was gonna stay for another week, but my Grandma is busy at work, so I couldn't stay another week. And this is only Mayhem's fourth appearance out of** _ **35 episodes.**_ **They made a point that he somehow got a vial that Draxum wanted and they didn't even make him be centered in the plot. We still have a long way to go until the season finale, but I thought Mayhem was you know, important? What happened to him? Did they just forget?**

 **I was able to watch The Purple Game on my phone while I was still in Florida, so I'll update that tomorrow. 21A is still missing so it might be another special or they just haven't released a name yet for it.**

Amy's smiling as she remembers last night. Having a secret...whatever they were, with Leo, is exciting. She's never had something like this before...but she couldn't wait to see how it would develop. Given her past, there was some doubt that she would ever even have a relationship. With her mother and the shop, she didn't think she could have a pinch of normal life. Thanks to Leo, though, he was an unexpected source of entertainment.

Oh, and the kissing. He was a really good kisser.

Amy stifles a laugh to herself, giving a silent reminder to never let Leo know that. If he found out, he'd brag about it whenever the others would know.

Suddenly, she hears a knock, turning to the entrance to find the turtle himself. Since it's a Sunday, Smith's Sweets was closed for the day. She tries not to smile at how happy she is to see him, opening the door. He notices something and frowns.

"Dove, you okay?"

Oh. The bruise. Of course he'd notice.

"Yeah, she just..." Amy touches her right black eye. "Well, you know." Her mother hit her in the face with a lamp, but there was no way she'd say that. Her mother was making some minimal progress. She didn't attack Amy outright, which tells her that her mother could be slowly healing...

Leo groans, bending his head over so she wouldn't have to see it. He wipes his face with his hands. "How long is this going to be a regular thing? At this rate, you might need to move back in."

Amy stares at him in disbelief that he suggested such a thing. His tone also makes it seem like he's bitter about this.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be angry of it, it's just..." He bites his lip as he looks at her straight in the eye. "What are you going to do if she never gets better?"

"What, I can't come over if she hits me again?" Amy asks in confusion. They had been over this. There was no cure. She obviously couldn't just move away, but her mother is all she has left from her immediate family. She thought that it wasn't a problem to come over if her mother wasn't calm. It shouldn't have to be, her friends already knew her situation.

"No," Leo shakes his head rapidly, "That's definitely not what I meant. You know you're always welcome at the lair. It's..." He sighs slowly, leaning against the counter. "This isn't working, Amy."

She already knew what he was referring to. The capgras, not their relationship. The last thing she wanted to think about was if her mother continued to act this way.

"Can we just not talk about it?" She puts a hand to her temple. "My nerves are already shot and my face hurts like hell."

"I'm sorry, but I'm tired of seeing you go through this," He opens his eyes to see her tired look. Tired of hearing this, tired of having this discussion again, tired of what this brought her. That's just it. She's tired, he knew that. But she didn't have to go through this. She could have a normal life if she just left. "And honestly, I'm tired of not being allowed to say anything about it."

"I'm just trying to figure out what to do, okay? It's not that easy for me," Amy stares at him with eyes so sad, he almost regretted bringing this up. "You knew that when I told you."

"You keep putting it off!"

He had no idea where that came from, it just slipped out. But he meant it.

"Tomorrow you'll go back to help, and then later, you're going to cry to me about it again."

Amy's mouth opens in disbelief. She remembered a while ago, he said he could talk to her about it if she wanted to, but now, he's given her the benefit of the doubt. If he's changing his mind, she doesn't find it funny.

She leans forward a bit, dragging a hand down her face. "Please, Leo." She was silently begging for him to stop, for him to remember what she's going through. "I'm asking you to please lay off me."

Leo sighs in frustration that she wants to change the subject. "Why do you keep coming to me if you won't admit this isn't right?"

"Maybe because I trusted you!" She suddenly shouts as she stands up. He could see the tears in her eyes, making his heart swell. "And I thought that you understood! You know what? No. I don't care. If you can't understand, then get out!"

"Fine!" Leo storms out the door and she follows after him, slamming it. He turns around and uses his two hands to slam back angrily.

* * *

The words of their fight keep playing over and over again in her mind as she stares out the window from April's bathroom. She's since fixed her eye with makeup. Nothing about...whatever it was about them has been easy. In fact, they were more different than alike from one another, but they tried to make it work anyway. It's almost as though the universe brought them together and pulled them apart just when they were starting to grow as something more...

A few stray tears roll down her cheeks as she watches the people outside the window. Amy still can't wrap her mind around everything that had happened in the last few hours. Going from a secret fling to a fight about whether or not her life was normal, only to find out that he was tired of this.

That part really got to her. Did he really think that she was going to give up on her mother? Although, the more she thinks about it, the more she acknowledges that friends never stay long after they find out.

Mayhem and Chewbacon are smiling as they look out the mirror. The pig is totally covered in mud.

"I was trying to give Mayhem and Chewbacon a bath, like the great pet sitter I am," April grins as she gestures to herself, glancing at Amy. Then the smile turns into a worried frown. "But he poofed them away and somehow, they got stuck in the mirror!"

"Aww, poor little fellas," Mikey pouts at them, but the two don't seem worried in the slightest unlike April.

"You guys can get 'em out, right?" She asks in concern. It was a long shot asking her friends, but they were the only ones she could ask...

"Of course. We're experts on mynthic stuff," Leo brags, crossing his arms. Amy is caught in the corner in his eye and he huffs, turning away. Of course he missed her, but she's too insistent on getting hurt for the sake of helping her mother. While he wanted her to have at least one family member around, he didn't like the fact that it was technically risking her life in the process...

"Um...you mean mystic, right?" April asks as she eyes him. "I think I should call Donnie."

"No!" Raph exclaims, getting all of their attention. "I got just the plan to get them out."

"Don't do it," Amy shakes her head.

* * *

Later, the whole bathroom is a mess, with the mirror still intact. Amy facepalms at him, sighing slowly.

"I told you."

"MY BATHROOM!" April shouts as she arrives back with Donnie in tow.

"So, you thought smashing everything but the mirror, would get him out of the mirror?" Donnie asks, pointing at everything.

"I had nothing to do with this," Amy holds up her hand. Raph gasps in realization, pointing to the mirror.

"I could smash the mirror!"

"You can't smash the mirror with them in it, they might get trapped in the netherworld," Leo points out, trying to stop Raph's arm from punching the mirror.

"Not only that, that's seven years bad luck," Amy calls out, wiping her nose as she's looking out the window.

"Omigosh!" Mikey looks at the mirror, the two pets' tails disappearing. "They're fading! We gotta do something! Donnie," Mikey reaches into Donnie's shell, pulling out random items to his brothers' annoyance. "Whip up one of your magic science potions and get 'em out!"

Donnie pushes Mikey away using an arm from the spider shell. "Okay magic science, not a thing. But, segway, whenever I get stuck with a tough problem, I look for answers at my local library!"

The three brothers stare at him quietly, and Amy could literally hear the crickets.

 _Yup, Leo totally doesn't know what a library is...wait, why am I wasting my thoughts on him? I'm mad at him._

"It's a big place full of books."

Leo fake snores, a snot bubble coming from his nose. Amy stifles a laugh, covering her mouth. Somehow, despite being angry with him, he can still make her laugh.

"They are like comics, but thicker?!" Donnie exclaims at them, which comes to their understanding.

"Oh, okay. Like comic books," Leo nods in agreement.

Donnie shouts in frustration, all of them leaving the still shocked April.

* * *

Amy comes to a stop in front of the library, lifting off her helmet as the others jump out. They wait until the janitor leaves for them to come out of their hiding spots. Donnie smells the paper from a book.

"These walls contain the sum knowledge of entire civilization."

The girl glances behind him to see the Mona Lisa with a blue bandana and a sword, the painter Raphael with a red mask, and the Statue of David with orange shorts.

 _It may be sum knowledge, but it's definitely not accurate in his eyes._

"Whoa!" Mikey points to an open comic book. "Jupiter Jim saves a cat!"

Raph and Leo peek in awe. "Yes, right," Donnie deadpans, remembering that his brothers aren't on the same level of intelligence. He glances at Amy looking through the shelves.

"Ooo, Leonardo Da Vinci's biography," He snatches the book out of her hands. "Are you a fan?"

"N-No!" She snatches it back. "I was just observing." The last thing she needed today was Donnie asking her a million questions about what her favorite books were.

"So where do we start?" Raph asks as Donnie skims the shelves. "There's like a million books here."

"But Raphael, a library is a treasure hunt. You never know what gems you may find along the way," Donnie grins confidently.

"Ah, like a book on how to catch? Heads up!" Leo throws a book at the back of Donnie's head, causing him to fall. It goes flying near Amy and she glares at him. He returns the glare.

Raph and Mikey look between them, sensing something...off. "You guys okay? You haven't spoken to each other for hours," Raph raises a skeptical eyebrow. "Do we need to have an intervention?!"

"Nope. We're just fine," Amy grits her teeth.

"Peachy," Leo snorts, and besides, his interventions were less than successful.

"And ow," Donnie deadpans to get their attention, lifting up his fallen goggles to his eyes. He scans the shelves. "Ah ha! There's something interesting in that section on rocks."

"Said nobody ever," Mikey replies sarcastically.

"Ha, you're right, geology stinks," Donnie chuckles a bit and Amy rolls her eyes.

"Not what he meant."

Donnie goes to open it, but somehow it flies into the air and grows larger, opening itself up. "Whoa..."

"That's awesome!"

"What the?!"

"Libraries rock," Leo comments with a grin before they're swallowed up by the book. It shrinks back to regular size and lands on the ground. The pages are flipped, showing each of their faces before two pages reveal the five, dropping them into the ground. Donnie has a happy grin on his face, gasping at the large mystic library in front of them.

"Holy Gutenberg, it's magnificent!"

The yokai bat librarian sits on top of a large pillar, stamping turned in books. "Watch and learn, lady and gentleturtles," Donnie slides over to the column and shimmies up it. "Ah, salutations, good-"

"Hush," She holds up one of her large fingers, "Library voice."

"Ah heh, but of course," He winks at her. "Most of my illiterate colleagues and I are..." She flaps her fingers together, indicating him to hush lower. "In need of some crucial mystic research..." She gestures for him to be even lower. "With the lives of beloved pets hanging in the balance." He smiles widely when he's done.

"You guys!" Amy hisses from down below as the other turtles are playing around. "Okay, be that way," She stomps over to Raph's 'vehicle' and kicks it down, causing him to bump into Leo.

"Ow!"

She whistles lowly, sweeping her hands clean. She then spins around, firing an electricity bolt and knocking the stamp out of Mikey's hand.

"Hey," He complains down at her.

The bat librarian, while thankful, is annoyed by the mess the turtles are making. "I see. You children will find the kiddy room to your left."

Donnie slides onto her desk. He was gonna have to up the ante if he wanted to help Chewbacon and Mayhem. "But would a child have a platinum library card?" Donnie holds up his library card, which is indeed made of platinum. "Would a child have won the National Library Competition three years in a row? Would a child be an expert in Dewey Decimal Mathematics? I can divide by biographies!"

She shushes him again and he leans in towards her ear. "Biographies!"

The yokai facepalms in defeat. "Fine! You can go to the main library, so long as you shhh!" She flicks them all on the head except for Amy, patting her on the head. "If my hush bats hear anything louder than a whisper," She points up to at least a hundred bats in the ceiling, "They'll lock you up in the kiddy room."

"Got it!" Raph whispers, giving a thumbs up. The librarian narrows her eyes at them, getting a feeling that they won't last long. He wraps his arms around Donnie and Leo. "If we get locked in that kiddy room, we'll never find what we need to help Mayhem and Chewbacon, so be very quiet. Wait..." His eyes dart to Leo, Amy, and Donnie, and those three only. "Where's Mikey?!" He lifts up the two turtles. Amy taps his shoulder, pointing up ahead. Mikey has a big grin on his face.

"Oh no," Amy murmurs in realization.

He takes a deep breath. "ECHO!" He shouts into the halls, turning around with a big beam towards them. The hush bats obviously hear it and take him away. "I regret nothing!"

"Mikey, you idiot!" Amy whispers after him.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Leo asks Raph quietly.

"In the kiddy room?" Raph snickers to himself. "He'll be fine."

* * *

Mikey lands in the kiddy room, which has a bunch of toys and books. He looks up, still with that childish grin on his face as a train passes by.

"Hey, a choo choo!"

He looks back to yokai children, who stare at him. "New toy," A purple blob points to him.

"Where?" Mikey asks cluelessly, gulping as he gets surrounded.

* * *

Raph gets a text from April as she's pointing at the pets' arms and legs disappearing.

 _Guys hurry!_

"Guys, Mayhem and Chewie are fading away fast. How do we find the book that'll help us save 'em?" Raph frowns at the text.

"Very simple," Donnie takes hold of a crystal orb. "Every library has a catalog. I'm sure in a mystic library, you merely summon it." He shakes the crystal ball and it shows him a helpful book. "Here we go: Completely Compendium of Escape Rituals. It's in room 16, corridor B, moving stairs, left at the Iblis Tapestry."

"Donnie, you wanna write this stuff down?" Raph asks as there's no way they could remember all that.

Donnie lifts his goggles confidently. "The brain is nature's notepad, Raphael. I have already memorized the directions in song form." He throws the ball, and it hits someone, causing him to shout. He gets taken away by the hush bats.

"Sorry about that," Amy whispers to him as he's glaring at them. "Good job, Donnie," She pats him on the shoulder, Leo looking at them in jealously.

* * *

The three head towards the stairs and Amy silently follows as she's lost in thought. Even from their first meeting, she pushed him and others away. She pushed him away because she didn't want him to see her vulnerable side. Any time she did, people would just leave before they got a chance to know her. A mutant she never expected to be with romantically, but the turtle that she wanted in her life as a trusted friend.

Then she allows herself to go on a date with him, but it was too late. He had given up on trying to understand. So when she allowed herself to go on a date, he had to be sweet and take her to Coney Island. That stupid trip. She still couldn't believe that he did that for her.

Though...it was really nice that he put that much thought into it...

"What are you doing to me, Leo?" She whispers to herself. "I wish I knew how to quit you."

She thought he liked her enough to get past the whole capgras delusion problem. She thought that he was the one person in the world who never cared about the flaws she had in her life. The flaws that she would do anything to make disappear, but she knows she can't.

But she chose to be with him anyway, despite all of that. She wanted to see what they were capable of together because they were better together than they were apart. She chose to allow herself to be in...not a relationship, but something, and opened herself up to him in ways that she never imagined she would, only to have her heart shattered by him with a few words.

He was done. They were in a fling for only a day and he already decided that he wanted no part of this. After only months of knowing what the illness resulted in.

When she heard him say those words, she didn't want to believe him. She thought that he was just joking as usual. But when he yelled at her like that, she knew the truth and she felt her heart shatter into a million pieces.

He wasn't the same turtle that she had grown to like over the last few months. He looked the same, but the feelings she felt for him weren't the same. She doesn't even know if she can look at him now after that fight. Deep down, she wanted to go back in time and erase that dumb squabble.

She wanted to go back to the start of everything and erase the accident and start over. She wanted to protect her heart and stop Draxum from hurting the one thing that she cherished.

Apparently, everything she had known from the start was wrong and now she'd have to deal with the consequences of having a mother who would never remember her...

She needed to talk to someone, for support. Otherwise, she wouldn't know what to do. Probably not Splinter, though.

"We better move fast!" Raph's urgent whisper brings her out of her thoughts. "Mayhem and Chewie don't have much time."

Near the ceiling, Foot Brute, Brit, and Foot Lieutenant just happen to be there, seeing the four walking down below. "What are _they_ doing here? Can't we enjoy a nice peaceful Sunday without those clowns showing up?" Foot Lieutenant asks bitterly.

"That witch must be here trying to figure out how to shut me down," Brit is in his yokai form, shaking his fist. "Well, she won't take me alive!"

"I got an idea," Foot Brute rubs his chin. "Since they're always messing up whatever we're doing...why don't we mess up whatever they're doing?!"

The three laugh evilly. It was time for them to know how they felt for a change.

"Room 16, take corridor B, down the stairs past the Iblis Tapestry," Donnie slides to the edge, rapping out the directions. Amy rolls her eyes in amusement. She had to admit, the song was distracting her from...other things in her life. "Slapping bookies after bookies show the way to the hall, but the pole through the hole to the waterfall!"

Leo is backing him up as Raph looks around. "Keep it down, Donnie."

"Donatello, with the book in his hands, saves the day and proves to everyone that he's the man!" Unfortunately, he rapped that too loud, causing him to get taken away by the hush bats. "Popo comes in and takes him away, but Donnie will live to see another day!" He shouts to the open-mouthed trio.

* * *

He lands roughly in the kiddy room, looking up to see Mikey wearing a bib as the other kids are playing tea party with him.

"Mikey!"

"New toy!" His brother shouts with a big grin, laughing in relief.

"What?" Donnie opens his mouth in shock as they surround him...

* * *

April sends an update about the pets, with only their heads left.

 _Where are you guys?!_

 _We'll be back soon!_

Raph sighs slowly, facepalming. "Write it down I said, but no...the brain is nature's notepad!" He mutters bitterly over their situation.

"Now you know how I feel all the time," Amy places her hands on her hips.

"Guys, relax," Leo pops up from behind them. "I know Donnie's once again messed up our mission as he does on virtually every mission-"

"Are you trying to get Donnie fired?" Raph points at him accusingly.

"What?" Leo laughs nervously with a grin. "No. We'll settle that later. We're gonna save Mayhem, and maybe Chewbacon, we need to remember the song. How did it go? Something about a room?"

He gets a book thrown at his head and he grits his teeth at the innocent looking Amy. "You did that on purpose!"

"Oh yes, because everything is my fault," Amy whispers back, crossing her arms.

"No, it's Donnie's."

"Would you stop blaming your brother for everything? Like you could do it better!"

"I can!"

They both glare at each other, veins clashing from their foreheads. Raph pushes them away from each other.

"Focus, and stay quiet," He warns them with narrowed eyes.

As Amy, Leo, and Raph are trying to remember that stupid song, something catches her eye. She squints her eyes as she steps closer, gasping when she can see it clearly. "What?"

People might be calling her crazy, but she's staring at…

Marco and Lucia.

She rubs her eyes, to make sure she's not dreaming, but they're really standing in front of her right now. Marco grins as Lucia waves and then suddenly, they're gone.

She didn't know why, but she had the sudden urge to go and follow them. Amy rushes down the hall without another word.

"Hey!" Raph calls out to her in a whisper, "Mellie! Stop!"

"Where are you going? Going off on your own isn't gonna help!" Leo whispers to the girl, but she doesn't listen. He tries to go after her, but she's already gone, causing him to grunt. The look in his eyes show how much he missed her, though...

"Room 16, take corridor B," Raph recites, but he can't remember the rest all of sudden. "Ah...then what?"

He bumps into someone, knocking him to the ground. "You run into us," Foot Brute jerks a thumb to himself.

"Step aside," Raph points at them in annoyance, Leo's mouth open wide. "We're on a crucial mission."

"Which is why we're gonna throw a monkey wrench into your plans!" Foot Lieutenant grins, Raph standing up.

"Amelia will rue the day she crossed me," Brit rubs his hand.

"Dude, you seriously need a hobby," Leo whispers to him.

"Oh yeah?" Raph goes to punch Foot Brute, who catches his fist. The hush bats loom over them and they glance up at the ceiling nervously.

"Raph, we can't fight these guys," Leo grabs hold of him. "We have to be quiet, or we'll never get the book to free Chewbacon and Mayhem."

"We'll fight them as quietly as the quietest vine in the jungle of silence!" Raph hisses, turning back to Foot Brute. He would never turn down a fight. Foot Brute blows dust at him, to get him to get set to the kiddy room as revenge.

Raph is about to sneeze, but Leo covers his nose with his finger. The hush bats narrow their eyes as they watch closely. "We don't have time for this! We have to find Ames and get the book!" Leo whispers to him. Deep down, he couldn't stop caring about her, and at this point, she might be in the kiddy room...

 _Pfft. No she wouldn't._

* * *

Amy rushes past book shelves, sliding around the corner and coming to a stop at a dead end. "Ha…I must be insane to think that I saw-"

She turns around, freezing when she sees her siblings again. Her eyes start to water at the sight of them. It was her family…

 _Baron Draxum shot purple vines, causing the accident. Young Alina looked at her sister's blood-stained face, then at her brother._

" _Lucy? Big brother!"_

 _She started to cry as the sirens were heard._

"Marco…Lucia…how…"

Instead of answering, they gesture for her to follow, and she does. Surely the two didn't mean any harm…it felt like they're really here…

* * *

Raph steps on Foot Brute's foot, causing him to grunt quietly, even though it really hurt. Leo licks his finger and gives Foot Lieutenant a wet willy. He covers his mouth, grossed out as he accidentally pulls on his partners' underwear. Brit glares down at Foot Lieutenant as the two turtles try not to burst in laughter. The three notice this and smirk, Foot Brute shaking his butt while Foot Lieutenant makes funny faces. Brit plants a banana peel and slips on purpose. The two cover their faces, Leo grabbing a book and making himself act like a duck. Raph shakes his head, also making funny faces. The next few seconds of them trying to one-up each other is so ridiculous, yet Amy herself would laugh if she was there. Everyone else is watching them weirdly, leaving the area. Leo trips on a book that's about avoiding tripping.

Foot Brute laughs loudly, realizing too late what he's done. "Uh oh. Put me down!"

Foot Lieutenant flips through a book, ripping out a page and making Origami soldiers...however, they're tiny, but they do land on Leo's shell, tickling him. Because of his loud laughing, the hush bats lead him away. He spots corridor B just before he's taken to the kiddy room.

"Raph! Corridor B!"

"I copy." He glares at Foot Lieutenant and Brit. One baddie down, two more to somehow get rid of...by himself.

* * *

When the three come to a stop in a dark room with medieval furniture, Amy couldn't help but feel a little creeped out.

 _If the Mystery Gang and their Great Dane show up, I'm hauling shell._

"How…I saw you guys! You were…" She pauses as she couldn't even finish her sentence. It would be too much.

"Big sis?" Lucia speaks up…without using sign language. Okay, Amy might be going crazy by talking to thin air in other peoples' eyes, but Lucia would never outright speak. "Why are you fighting against Draxum?"

She blinks slowly at the line of questioning. Why would she ask such a thing? And how does she even know his name?

"I-I don't…what…"

"Draxum is clearly the one you should be allied with."

"That's crazy talk!" Amy immediately protests. "He's a psycho! He messed up Mom!"

"That was just an incentive," Lucia waves it off. "You have so much better with him than with those idiotic turtles."

"How'd you know about them?" There's no possible way they could know about this stuff…she's never spoken about any of this to her family; her mother didn't need to be involved with her personal life and get hurt again. Her father was never informed about the true cause of the crash while he was still alive…so how could they know so much about her now?

"What we know is irrelevant. We're pawns to the game," Marco shrugs it off. "What you need to do is quit the bakery and join the Foot."

"I don't care who you are, I'll never do that!" Amy screams as she runs towards the door. She had to get out of this place, it was doing…something to her head.

"Don't you see that Draxum is the right path?"

Amy pauses as she was reaching for the door knob. Her eyes are wide in horror as she tries to figure out what's wrong with her head...

* * *

Foot Lieutenant throws more paper ninjas, but Raph blows them onto the duo. They get tickled, causing them to laugh and they get flown away too. "Put me down!"

"Don't mess with the hair!"

"Yes!" Raph whispers in victory. His phone buzzes, luckily on vibrate, and he answers April's call. "April! Can't talk right now."

"What's going on?!" She shouts loudly. "They're almost faded away!"

Raph's eyes widen as he glances back at the horde of hush bats. "On my way! Tell little buddies Mayhem and Chewie to hang tight!"

He runs to his right and jumps into the space of many staircases, falling onto another one and running down the next. He glances back at the bats that are getting closer, screaming and bumping onto the steps again. He falls through empty space and lands on the floor, grabbing a rolling shelf and rolling down the hall. He screams as he plants his foot into the shelf next to him, flying books into the bats' eyes. He speeds so fast that he knocks a couple down, a yokai glancing at the area.

* * *

"You said so yourself many times: those bozos mess up everything. Even the smart one…but with someone as powerful as a warrior mutant scientist, you would be unstoppable. You could have…anything."

Amy narrows her eyes. Having everything but her friends…would be wrong. That wasn't how she wanted to live. Money, power, immortality…she didn't care. Her friends meant the world to her no matter how many times they push her nerves.

"…Who are you?"

The two stare at her as she turns around, glaring at them. "My brother and sister would never say this…this crap about being someone I don't want to be. But how am I seeing you…?"

 _Amy coughed after she was sprayed in the eyes with the purple spores. Baron grinned as he left, holding the purple Oozesquito._

"…That damn bug!"

She rubs her eyes harder, looking at her fingers to see residue from the spores. Looking up, she sees that she's alone, blinking back tears. For a few seconds, it felt so…

Normal.

All she can do is stare at where her siblings were as the hush bats come to take her.

* * *

Raph glances back at the bats, looking at a certain tapestry.

 _Down the stairs, past the Iblis Tapestry._

"Sure hope that's an Iblis," Raph says, as he doesn't know what an actual one looks like. The shelf runs over a book, tripping him. "No!"

He jumps to the tapestry, spinning around and dangling as the bats get caught in the fabric. It rips due to the weight and he uses them as a parachute. He's then met with moving shelves.

 _Slapping bookies after bookies show the way to the hall._

"What?" Raph asks in confusion. "What is the point of this?!" He gets hit in the face with a shelf, knocking him around. "Power smash-a-roni!" His aura manifests and he growls like a gorilla, hanging onto a shelf. He bursts into another side of the room, freaking out other people and making them go to the kiddy room.

 _A pole to the hole to the waterfall!_

"The waterfall!" Raph recognizes it, running towards the waterfall. He slides up it, the hush bats still flying after him. He bursts through a fountain...and finally comes across the book. "The book! I'm coming, Mayhem and Chewbacoooooon!"

The hush bats burst out of the hole, surrounding him. "I don't have time for this!" He controls his bigger self so that it pulls him out. "Bringing like a boss!" He flies towards the book, crashing into it as the bats follow. The librarian is peacefully stamping another book when something breaks above her. She looks up to see a hole in the wall, with shelves flying off as Raph reaches out towards the book. Her eyes widen slowly and he finally grabs the book. He falls, but the hush bats catch him, bringing him to the kiddy room.

"I got the book! Let's go save Mayhem and Chewbacon!" Raph exclaims, looking back sheepishly as he's caused a huge mess.

"You!" The librarian recognizes him immediately. "I'll pummel you into papyrus!" She grows larger into a different form.

"Uh, um..." He glances behind him to see the kids playing drums, with Donnie and Leo fanning Mikey. The Foot trio are tied up.

"New toy!" Mikey points to the librarian. He has face paint, made to look like a tribe leader of some sort. The kids surround the librarian, doing whatever they wished to her horror.

Amy suddenly appears in the kiddy room, frowning sadly. "Mellie! Hey, where'd you run off to?"

"Probably to get away from you," Foot Brute and Foot Lieutenant laugh, making Amy's blood boil. She lets her fists speak for herself as she punches both of them across the face, to everyone's shock. And, to top it all off, she walks away without another word. The turtles follow after her.

"That was awesome!" Raph cheers and she clenches her fists.

"Yeah baby! Nothing gets past you!" Mikey cheers, but the girl is silent.

"Now we can go back and rescue your pet, and it's all because of my superiorness," Donnie brags, dancing around Amy and holding out her motorcycle helmet. Leo seems to be the only one noticing that Amy hasn't said a word so far.

"Will you just stop?!" She snatches the helmet and throws it to the ground, cracking the glass. She continues her walk, much to the confusion of the four.

"What'd I say?" Donnie wonders as they glance at each other. She looked as if...

She saw a ghost.

* * *

"Now, the final step," Raph presses his hand to a symbol in front of the mirror. "Boom!"

The mirror flashes, releasing Mayhem and Chewbacon.

"Come here, coochie coo..." Raph holds out his hands, but Mayhem scratches his face. The pets land in their owners' arms.

"Guys, you did it! Thank you!" April says gratefully, holding Mayhem away from her. "Okay Mayhem, time for your bath."

At that word, Mayhem poofs into the mirror yet again, confusing them. "Okay, I'm smashing him out!" Raph breaks the mirror and Amy facepalms at Raph's glass-inflicted hand. "There. That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

Amy walks towards the bathroom door. "Um...Amy? Are you okay?" Mikey asks slowly, causing her to pause.

"...I need to be alone right now."

And then she's gone.

* * *

Amy decides to go downstairs to surround herself with the closed shop, for closure. Baking was the one thing she stuck with, and it was probably the only thing she knew was right in her world…but now that she's calmed down…she doesn't want to lose anyone else in her life, so there was only one thing to do.

Pulling out her phone, she calls April, knowing that she won't tell anyone about this conversation.

"Hey hey, girl! What's up?"

"April? I need you...something happened, and...I need to talk to-"

Suddenly the door bursts open and she's surprised to see a panting April standing there.

"Girl talk?! Oh, I have been waiting months for this!"

"I'm sorry, how did you get here so fast?" Amy asks in confusion as April lives kinda far from here. Far enough to not get here in under a second like she just did.

"Say no more! I have just the thing."

"So, what's on your mind?" April asks as the two girls are eating ramen. Amy sighs as she puts down her chopsticks, wondering if she should just back out now. No. No, she can't back down. She's a warrior. All she had to do was not mention his name and everything would be fine.

"If you had a fight with someone..." She starts off, not sure how to word this right. "Because of a family member...what would you do?"

April smirks, having a hint of what this was about. "Is this about Leo?"

"What?" Amy sweats a bit, wondering just how April knew that. She didn't even imply that it was Leo. "No!"

"It's okay if it is," April shrugs at her, "And if it's not, you don't have to tell me. But I would just talk it out, and then you'll be okay!"

"And...if that someone doesn't want to hear it?" Amy bites her lip, remembering how Leo stormed out. She never expected that of him.

"Then they'll just have to get over it and accept the fact that family is important!" April recites with a nod, crossing her arms. "Boom. Giving advice like a boss."

"Okay, Raph is having too much influence on you."

"Love you too, Amy."

* * *

Amy paces around, not sure if he would even show up. If he did, that would mean he understood her situation. And if he didn't...

Well, she didn't want to think about that possibility.

Someone lands in front of her door and she stops in her tracks, silently hoping that it was him. She slowly turns around, relieved to see Leo standing there and not a robber. Slowly, she walks up to the door and opens it, letting him in.

They take a seat at the table, waiting for the other to stay something, to make sure that they were still okay.

"I'm sorry," Leo starts off first. "That I was angry. I was wrong to speak to you like that...and I shouldn't have made you cry. I just...can't stand to see you go through this anymore. I care about you, you know that," He sighs slowly, dragging a hand down his face. "And I do care about what you're going through. I just...snapped. And when you called, I was so happy."

"...I care about you too," She admits and he looks relieved. When she asked him to come over, he was scared that...that she wanted to be done with him. "Listen...this... _us._ You're supposed to trust me, like I trust you."

He squeezes his eyes shut at how he acted. "You may act like an _idiot_..." She looks annoyed as she uses the last word, her eyes softening. "But you're my idiot. And besides...I won't be alone. We're going to get through this...together."

Leo places his hand on top of hers, squeezing it. "Tell me what I can do to make it up to you."

Amy shakes her head. "I just want you to be there for me...and understand why I can't give up on her. She's my mother. She's my only family—biologically. I can't just forget about her and leave her to be alone with her illness..." She sniffles and he winces at her teary ears. The last thing he wanted to do was make her cry. "You're the only one I know who believes in me and I don't wanna lose that. And for you to just abandon me like that...I thought that you would understand that she's suffering, Leo...please don't tell me that I was wrong..."

"I do understand," He leans forward and hugs her tightly, not wanting to let go. "And I didn't mean to make you upset. I've always believed in you, Ames. I never stopped."

"I'm sorry too..." She whispers softly. He looks down at her to see her lost look.

"I was the one who was an idiot, dove, not you," He raises a brow at her.

"No," She shakes her head, blinking back tears. "For having my mom..."

"That's not your fault," He says sharply. "I wouldn't be doing this whole thing if I had a problem with you having an mentally ill mother. I just worry, you know." He reaches out and gently wipes her tears.

"I know..." She murmurs, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"...I missed you."

"I missed you too, Leon." She could tell he meant every word, meaning she could trust him.

"Leon, hmm?" He looks at her with an amused smirk, silently happy that she used his nickname.

"Don't push it," She deadpans with a blank look before taking a deep breath. "…I saw my siblings."

His eyes widen and he swallows in a gulp. "Um…can you repeat that? Because ya lost me."

"No, really!" She protests, letting go of him. "They started talking to me, and it seemed like we were a family again…until they tried to convince me to change sides. I said no! But they were talking crazy, saying how their death wasn't important! Like they're trash! But they're not!" She blinks back tears.

He engulfs her into a hug as she sobs into his chest. He says sweet nothings into her ear until she calms down. "Remember that stuff he sprayed me with?"

"Don't remind me," He grunts at the memory.

"That's what caused me to see them…Leo, can you stay with me tonight? I-I don't wanna be left alone."

"Of course," He smiles softly, "Who am I to deny my lady?"


	36. The Purple Game

**Angel: So there was another new episode…which aired while I was still on the ship, so I had to do two episodes when I got back XD the struggles…haven't seen anything on new air dates, but my gut tells me it's because of all of the 35 years of TMNT hype XD Congratulations for good years and obvious bad ones, TMNT. Truly a favorite franchise for generations to come.**

 **I won't have Amy get her ice powers, and I've already said why. This isn't the same Amy from before, she's different, and therefore, I don't want her to have something her previous incarnations have already had. April was a kunoichi in the last show, something they never did as far as I know. I know that my fans liked her, but I also know that doing the same thing in every TMNT show would get redundant.**

 **Almost forgot to bring up one thing. I have not seen Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart, or at least, not a full episode anyway. I'm not going to say that all new Cartoon Network shows are bad, but I've honestly stopped watching the channel ever since they never stop airing a certain Teen Titans successor... I personally wouldn't do a story about it, but only because my priorities are elsewhere right now. I have movies to catch up on and episodes from another show to write/upload. For me, I get a joy out of writing stories and expressing my creativity, and not by how many viewers I have. I just feel like there are people out there who like my stories regardless of how many people read it...I'm not into writing for that reason. Of course there are going to be people who don't like my type of creativity, and that's okay, because they can find their style elsewhere on here, that's what favoriting and following is for XD (I'm not naming names, though)**

 **Sides, I'm satisfied with how many people favorite/follow me, and I thank all of them, old or new to me.**

A giant robot mech fires a rocket fish at a blimp, destroying it. "Battle through the number one ranking to unlock an exclusive item! There can only be one!" The robot fires into the air to show the logo for a video game, The Purple Game. "The Purple Game! Download now!"

"I must have it," Donnie grins widely, downloading it onto the TV in the arcade. "Yes!" He immediately starts playing, food and drinks piling up around him as he plays for hours on end. He also never seems to take a break as he's sweating and his eyes are wide. The next thing anyone knew, it was the next morning.

"Donnie, have you been playing all night?" Raph asks in astonishment as he, his brothers, and Amy are standing behind him. Raph is in a Jupiter Jim suit, while Amy, Leo, and Mikey are in the same outfits they wore when they rescued Raph from the mutant mascots in Times Square.

"Yes, this is the greatest game of all time, stop talking to me," Donnie says quickly, focusing on the TV rather than anything else. He's only on Rank 800 and he stomps on someone, going up another rank.

"Really?" Leo asks skeptically at the basic graphics and minimal gameplay. "This?"

"Yes, oh yes, rank is rising! Oh, I gotta get to number one, baby!" He stomps on more people, going up two more ranks.

"Well, let's go! Get dressed. If we're late to Fan-Con, we'll miss out on the Jupiter Jim swag," Raph shakes his shoulder, but he doesn't budge, waving his hand.

"Meet you there, I'm earning purple points to unlock sweet upgrades!"

"Donnie, are you okay?" Mikey asks in concern. Donnie would never miss out on Fan-Con. "Atomic Lass is gonna be there. She's your favorite character from the extended Jupiter Jim universe."

"She and JJ haven't spoken since-"

"We don't speak of that," Mikey covers his ears. "We even convinced Amy to come!"

"The day that Lia goes to Fan-Con is the day that I become last rank! Rank number one," He starts licking the screen, Amy raising her eyebrow in disbelief.

"Hey, I can have a life," She crosses her arms, smiling a bit. "April's covering for me."

"Okay, I know I say this a lot about Donnie, but demon possession!" Leo points to Donnie and Amy moves his finger away.

 _Just this once, I actually believe him._

"I'm fine!" Donnie snaps at them, going back to his game. The four glance to each other, looking a bit worried as they leave Donnie to his game.

* * *

He's at rank 752 now as he's cornered by three other players. "Did anyone teach you noobs not to follow strangers into alleys?" Donnie laughs confidently as he makes the three players disappear.

"BootyyyShaker9000, you have qualified for a big upgrade!" An AD for new skin pops up. "Spend your purple points now!"

"Oh my, fab..." He tries to get it, but he doesn't have enough purple points. "I have to get more points..." Since that costs money, a lot of money, he has to get resources from elsewhere...

He goes to a piggy bank and Smith's Sweets, breaking into Amy's safe and looking at all of the money inside...

* * *

"What a night, baby!" Mikey hollers as the four return back from Fan-Con.

"Once in a lifetime!"

"I just shared a life-changing experience..." Leo murmurs, Amy shaking her head. "Donnie, you're never gonna believe what just happened. I know it'll never make up for it, but we got you a Jupiter Jim figure with real chopping action! And, get this...everyone recognized my lady and I from the video! They were practically begging for us to sign autographs and take pictures!"

"I really wish you guys hadn't uploaded that..." Amy facepalms, shaking her head slowly. On the inside, though, she was somewhat flattered by the attention. She catches Leo pouting and she winks at the turtle, causing him to smile. They're surprised to see Donnie still in front of the TV, but this time, he's wearing a lumberjack outfit.

"So close. Nobody's gonna stop Bootyyyshaker900!" He's at rank 10 now, but before he can progress further, Raph stands in front of him, causing him to scream in panic. "Move, move!" He hisses as if he's a hermit.

"Dude, you okay? You're dressed up like a lumberjack," Raph raises an eyebrow at his clothing.

"More like an idiot," Amy snaps a photo to send it to April.

"It's a new upgrade I unlocked," Donnie brags, placing his fist to his chin. A confident smile is on his face. "Not many have..."

Leo moves behind him, inspecting his clothes. "How'd you pay for that gear? Donnie, how'd you pay for that gear?!" Leo looks at him in the eye, all of them knowing fully well that Donnie doesn't have money to pay for any of this.

He simply glances at the large mountain of money. Amy looks at it and gasps in horror.

"Is this my stash?! You stole it?!" She shouts at him.

"I didn't steal, I borrowed. You can earn it back," He waves her off and she grits her teeth in anger.

"Earn it back? Earn it-I WORKED MY ASS OFF FOR FIVE YEARS TO EARN THIS AND YOU'RE USING IT FOR A STUPID GAME!" She lunges at him, but Raph holds her back as the other two hold her arms. "YOU BASTARD, YOU BETTER GIVE THAT BACK! Let go of me!" She struggles as the other three pull her away from the arcade.

Mikey gasps sharply at his broken piggy bank, which he's just discovered.

"He destroyed Mrs. Porky-Coin?!" Mikey holds the broken pieces, clenching his fists as he looks up to the sky. "I will avenge heeeeer!"

"And he doesn't care he missed a literal once in a lifetime experience!" Leo points out, trying not to cry. "That lady in a wheelchair walked!"

"What do you do if someone you love is obsessed with something that's bad for them?" Raph murmurs and they all glance at Amy, who's still fuming.

"He's not worth it. Calm down," Leo tells her gently.

"Calm down? He stole my life's savings and for what?" She screams as she's pacing. "When I'm done with him, you'll have to bury the remains!"

"No need to go that far," Raph holds up his hands. "But we need your advice on this."

"Okay," She takes a deep breath to focus on Donnie's obvious problem. "Well...I'd confront him and tell him how he's acting, and that he's taking this too far."

"And?" Mikey asks curiously as they're leaning towards her with interest. She stares at them for a few seconds.

"This is so weird..." She murmurs as she takes a seat in front of them. Last time she checked, she was a baker, not a therapist...

* * *

Donnie has reached rank 2 when he encounters another player with the same rank, who just happens to be...

"BootyyyShaker9000? Donnie?" April asks in surprise.

"April?!" Donnie wonders, as they're the last two players left. Her name is Sherlock Corn. "You're the last person to destroy to achieve rank level one!"

"Ditto!"

"Final Rank Battle!" The announcer booms and the fight starts off.

"There can only be one!" They chant, as that's customary for each battle. April uses Kernel Kannon, with her character shooting corn from himself at Donnie's character, bringing at almost half health. He retaliates with Superior Intellect, bringing her health a bit down.

 _She's heard this before...it's not very effective._

April charges the Power of Togetherness and uses Captain Cuddlecakes Hug, affecting Donnie's health greatly.

"Ah! I must win!" He pulls up his phone, revealing cheat codes. "Must win..." He'll do anything to get to rank one...anything! "Down, right, left, left, up, left, left, right, circle!"

This enables a cheat code that makes April's character glitch out and become a glitch itself. "I can't move! How'd you do that?!"

He just chuckles as his character fires laser eye beams, defeating his friend and winning the battle. "The winner is BootyyyShaker9000! New rank number one!"

April gasps sharply at the game over screen, Mayhem near her. Her mother is cooking in the kitchen. "How did he do that?!" She fumes as she pulls out her phone, calling someone.

"I've done it!" Donnie stands up proudly at his new glory. "I'm number one! Show me what I get!" He presses his face to the screen in glee.

"BootyyyShaker9000, you've unlocked the final exclusive item!"

"Victory is mine!" His eyes shine at the TV.

* * *

"So, we've read every internet doctor article on how to treat Recreational Game Obsession Mania," Raph says as they're gathered around the living room.

"RE-GOM!" Mikey cheers at the new acronym.

"I just read the comments," Leo brags and Amy wipes the sweat off her forehead.

"It was a lot of work teaching you all this, that's for sure..."

"So now...we're all experts!"

"More like amateurs, but whatever floats your boat, Raph," Amy shrugs at him. Suddenly, there's a noise coming from the surface of New York. A scream is heard and they look towards the tablet to see a giant mech.

"Giant mech! Maybe some action will snap Donnie out of it, you think?" He glances at the others, his brothers nodding while Amy looks skeptical.

Leo runs into the arcade. "Donnie, there's a giant mech destroying-" He comes to a stop as he sees the chair Donnie's in. "Whoa...nice chair. Wait, where'd you get that?"

The delivery man had just shrugged it off when he was delivering, so he threw it into the sewers.

"I unlocked it, and now I can explore a whole new world to conquer! It only cost me the rest of Amy's savings."

"YOU DID WH-"

"No time!" Raph interrupts Amy, spinning the chair around so Donnie can face them. "Except for hero time. Donnie, we need you."

"I will be right there," He turns back to the game. "You have my word."

"I hope so, because April told me that you glitched up her persona somehow," Amy places her hands on her hips. "What'd you do?"

"Pfft. I won fair and square...while using a few incentives," Donnie says casually and she gasps sharply.

"Donnie! Cheat codes?! I can't believe you! April's your friend, and you unfairly took your victory! I don't know who you are anymore..." She shakes his head, leaving the arcade.

* * *

The four stand heroically on a rooftop...with one member missing. Instead, Shelldon appears in place of Donnie. "Sup, guys! Donnie couldn't make it. I'm New Donnie, obscure science reference set with total confidence."

"DONNIE!" Raph shouts in frustration.

"I dunno, I like New Donnie," Leo comments, to which Amy slaps him on the arm for. "Ow! What?"

A creak is heard and they look up nervously to see the robot looming over them. "It's huge! Looks like we've got a new mech villain on the scene!" Mikey comments as it fires a single laser, causing several explosions within the city. The people start to get evacuated as the four run onto a rooftop.

"Attack!" Raph declares and they jump, Raph punching at the eye. "Shelldon, can you get a read on who might be driving that thing?"

He yelps as the robot grabs hold of him. "Nah, and I'm New Donnie," The robot corrects. The mech throws Leo onto the ground near Mikey and Amy. The brunette sucks in a gasp as she bends down to Leo.

"Are you okay?"

He simply groans in response and Mikey looks up at the dome from the mech. "Let's see who's inside, guys!" He spins his whip, flinging it towards the robot. "Cowabunga!" He gets lifted up into the air, running on the arm and jumping. "Whoa!" His eyes widen as he lands on the glass, but he manages to open it.

"Knock knock, knucklehead!" However, there is no one inside. "What?! Nobody's driving this thing?!"

Back at the lair, Donnie is playing around with his mech character...as four bears are surrounding him, in the same colors as his brothers, while one of them is pink.

"Get out of here, you little plush dolls!" He grits his teeth in annoyance. "You're ruining Mr. Number One's mech!"

Mikey glances downwards and reads the name listed on the screen. "BootyyyShaker9000? Donnie...?"

The dome snaps shut, causing him to fall off and land near the others. "Donnie's...controlling the mech!"

"Say what now?" Raph asks, baffled.

"It must be another one of his unlockables," Amy rubs a temple. "He probably reached rank one to get this. I thought he was crazy, but attacking the city?"

"You're telling me that big ugly thing is Donnie?" Leo rubs his chin. "Oh ho, I've _so_ got this!"

He jumps out of the hiding spot. "How-what? Leo, what are you doing?!" Raph wonders, but Leo holds up a hand.

"Trust me, I've got a genius plan. Hey Donnie, it's us! Your brothers and Ames!" Leo waves his hands, but the mech simply stares at him.

With Donnie, the blue bear is waving his hands, speaking gibberish. "You know, I know these graphics aren't great, but points for solid writing!" He presses a button and the mech prepares to fire a laser at Leo, who sweats in realization that Donnie can't hear them.

"Okay, that's not good..."

"MOVE!" Amy screams, pulling him out of range.

"Congratulations on reaching rank number one! Keep smashing new players! Don't lose your rank."

Donnie stands up at that, looking like he's gone completely insane... "Ha! Nothing can stop me, no one will take my number one spot!"

The mech fires lasers into the air, after its assault on the four. "We gotta get a message."

"How?" Mikey sits up with bruises on his face. "He's not responding to anything." He spazzes out, landing on the ground. Amy sits up as her hair is a mess, smoke coming from the top of her head. When she had pushed Leo out of the way, only her hair and cheeks suffered damage.

She coughs up some smoke. "It's official: he's gone off the deep end."

"What about our Recreational Game Obsession Mania Training?" Leo grins in realization.

"RE-GOM. That's it!" Raph rubs his chin as he comes up with a plan.

"Yes, we can have an argument about how his game is hurting us!" Mikey points out, Raph pushing him away.

"No, I'm gonna use his obsession against him. It's time for an upgrade," Raph rubs his hands with a sinister smile on his face.

"I think we're bad people," Leo comments at this.

"And I think that we should haul shell!" Amy points forward at a rocket fist aiming right at them. They scream and take off into a run, Shelldon flying up to Raph.

"Shelldon!"

"It's New Donnie-"

"If you don't stop with that crap, I'm gonna turn you into a hard drive!" Amy interrupts and Shelldon sinks slightly at her threat. She'll apologize later, but right now was not the time for talk.

"Whatever!" A vein grows on Raph's temple in annoyance. "Can you hook my phone up to that thing so I can get Donnie a message?"

"On it!" Shelldon flies up to the mech, dodging lasers along the way. He reaches the face and attaches himself to the cheek.

* * *

Donnie gasps sharply as he sees an ad for a super-ultra mega-powerful upgrade. "Super exclusive upgrade? Yes!"

When he presses buy, he's met with Raph from his phone. "Donnie! The mech is real! Stop playing the game, Donnie!"

"Wow, feels so lifelike," He comments, it's like Raph is actually speaking to him. "And again, ace writing."

"DONNIE!" Raph's voice snaps him out of it. "Stop. The game is real!"

Donnie just rubs his neck in confusion and Raph finally shows the robot in the background, which is also rubbing his neck.

"Oh, that's not good," He cringes at how he's basically destroying the city right now, and possibly hurting other people. The quit screen pops up, but when he presses yes, nothing happens. "Uh, I can't quit out. What is happening?!"

His question is answered as a Purple Dragon symbol appears on the back of his chair. Cuffs trap his arms and legs.

"This was not covered in the user manual!"

The screen then changes to a familiar face. "Guess again, BootyyyShaker9000! Or should I do Othello Von Ryan? Or should I call you Donnie?"

"Oh," Donnie's chair turns around to Kendra herself. "The Purple Dragons. I should've known! How's house arrest?"

Kendra just snickers at his remark. "Yes, it is us!" She gestures to Jeremy and Jace. "The Purple Dragons! The greatest team hacking duo-"

"Uh, trio," Jace corrects, adjusting his glasses. Kendra smacks him at the back of his head.

"Shut up. Jace, you are on thin ice!"

"I know I said the plan seemed insane, but it totally worked!" Jace cheers at how it worked out.

"We wanted our revenge and you played your part perfectly," Kendra gives Donnie a knowing grin. "You almost destroyed your own brothers and best friend!" She laughs at how stupid Donnie got.

"Yes, but I didn't...mostly...mostly."

Jace and Jeremy laugh at him. "While we would've really enjoyed watching you smash them... watching you watch us smash them will be just as nice!" She cackles and Donnie's eyes widen in horror. What has he done? Because of his obsession, he's getting his brothers and sort-of sister hurt!

* * *

"So...did it work or...?" Leo asks slowly as they're looking at the shut-down robot. Suddenly, it stands up, glaring.

"Uh, no! He's still attacking!" Raph shouts as the eyes glow.

"You think he knows we like New Donnie better?" Mikey fist bumps Shelldon, to which Raph gives him a look.

The robot gets closer as Amy turns around to them. "I swear, if Donnie doesn't cut it out-"

A cold metal hand suddenly grabs her and she's lifted up to the robot's face. Donnie gasps in horror once he sees the girl.

"Mellie!" Raph calls out and the robot starts squeezing her in its hand.

"Let go of me!" Amy starts coughing due to her slow breathing all of a sudden.

* * *

Donnie watches the screaming bears run away from the robot as the pink one is being held in the left hand. He struggles to get out. "Make it stop! How are you controlling it?!"

Jeremy snickers, Kendra staring at him blankly. "The mech is now fully self-operational. Its AI learns from you playing the game. It's the-"

"Jeremy! Wrap it up already!" Kendra interrupts sharply as she pushes him away. Then he pops up next to her.

"At least I can get revenge for Amy rejecting me. She will learn to love me!" He laughs crazily and then the screen shows his brothers running away from the robot, Amy still in its hand.

"Brothers! Lia!" He cringes nervously. Trying again to get out, he crashes onto the ground. His eyes widen as he spots a Jupiter Jim figure...with chopping action.

* * *

The mech pops up in front of the turtles.

"Uh oh," Raph murmurs as they all cringe. Using its right hand, the robot punches them, but when the smoke clears, they're nowhere to be seen. A portal closes from their spot and Amy turns her head around to see another portal opening up from above.

"Guess we gotta hit it harder! BootyyyShaker, time to meet FaceKicker!" Raph makes his giant self appear, with Leo and Mikey on his shoulders. It kicks at the robot, which is much bigger in comparison. The mech blocks the fist with his left hand, Leo glancing at Amy. Her eyes are closed as she looks to be unconscious.

"AMY!" He shouts in panic and the robot simply stares at them. The three chuckle nervously before the robot grabs them with the other hand, squeezing the mystic form out of Raph.

"Donnie, you gotta stop this!" Leo calls out, only for them to be squished even tighter. "I love you, but your gaming is hurting me. Like literally hurting me!"

Donnie slides over to the action figure on the floor, grabbing the leg with his mouth. The chopping hand presses a button from his wrist computer, activating the other shells. They make their way over to their creator, setting him free. Donnie flies out of the lair to rescue his family before something bad happened.

The robot raises its left hand in the air, preparing to throw Amy. "No! Don't do it!" Leo cries out, but the left hand glitches, causing them to turn around and see Donnie controlling the robot.

"Cheat code, baby! Let's finish this!" His goggles land on his face as a large laser cannon emerges from his staff. It fires at the robot's face, causing a brightening explosion.

The robot lets go of the limp Amy, who lands roughly onto the street. The mech itself falls backwards onto the road.

"Guys, guys!" Donnie's spider shell arms pat them awake. "Are you okay?" For once, he actually looks concerned about them.

"You...hurt...Mrs. Porky-Coin! I will have my..." Mikey recoils back in pain, Donnie looking around for the last member.

"Oh no!" Donnie cries out as they turn around and run over to Amy. Her eyes are closed as her left arm is laying on her stomach.

"M-My lady, this isn't funny. Wake up!" Leo stammers nervously, not wanting to believe it.

"T-This is my fault," Donnie holds his head. "I got obsessed, and now she's..."

"Is she...?" Mikey asks slowly, not wanting to consider it. Leo presses his finger to her neck.

"I got a pulse!"

"We should give her mouth to mouth!" Raph leans in, but a hand covers his mouth. They glance down in unison to see Amy opening her eyes.

"As god is my witness, you shall do no such thing," She narrows her eyes in disgust. The turtles cheer as she sits up, Leo hugging her tightly.

"I'm just glad you guys are safe, and you don't know how sorry I am," Donnie's spider shell brings the four into a hug with Donnie. "I will never-" He does a double take as he sees an ad for a Purple Game sequel. "Oh, Purple Game 2!" He pushes them out of the way. "I must have it!"

His brothers give him a blank look.

"Nope, no way," Amy pinches his ear, dragging him away from the billboard. She was not going to have a repeat of what just happened.

"Awww…but I bought the chair and everything!"

"Speaking about that," Amy releases him onto the roof, grabbing a hold of the chair. "I'll be taking this and getting my money back by selling this on EBay."

"WHAT?!" Donnie protests angrily, "But-"

She gives him a pissed glare, making him shut up. "Donnie, you stole my life savings for a stupid game and I ALMOST DIED along with your brothers because of your obsessiveness. Not only that, you risked other lives in the process. We're selling the chair! If we didn't care about your well-being, I would've done worse. Believe that," She huffs, snatching the receipt. "You're lucky I'm even willing to forgive you after all that."

"Yeah, that seems fair," Raph crosses his arms, nodding in agreement with Amy's argument.

"You did go overboard," Leo agrees, Mikey nodding.

"You stole from our friend! Bad Donnie!"

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Donnie screams in agony, Amy rolling her eyes at his dramatic personality.

* * *

Amy is wearing a black leather jacket over a black and white sleeved t-shirt as she steps out of the bakery to meet Leo for a date. Her jeans are black as she wears a black cap over her untied hair. Her shoes are white sneakers as Leo smirks at her.

"Wow, you're not wearing your usual clothes. I'm absolutely shocked, dove."

She rolls her eyes playfully. "I guess you inspire my wardrobe. I just had this lying around."

"Sure," He chuckles as she leans against her bike, looking up at him with an amused smile.

"You don't like it?"

"Of course I do. In fact, I almost mistook you for someone else!"

"You dork," Amy punches him slightly in the arm, jumping into the back.

"I'm the dork who almost went out of his mind thinking you got hurt earlier tonight."

She pauses at his remark, turning to him. "I almost thought I lost you."

"That's...uh..." Amy rubs the back of her head. That sounded like a boyfriend would say, and not someone she's casually having relations with. "Leo, you do know that this is nothing serious, right? You don't need to worry about me all the time."

"I know that. But a guy like me with a girl like you can't help himself."

Leo leaps and lands with a thump in front of her. She needed a break and he suggested that he take her out tonight. Granted, all they would do was make out, but it was a distraction regardless of how it ended up.

She just never expected him to be saying...this stuff.

 _Every time I insist that it's casual, he pushes himself to care about me. And I keep letting it happen...though I shouldn't. We aren't together or anything like that. And what did he mean, a guy like him can't help but worry about a girl like me?_

"Hang on, princess." Leo's voice gains her attention back.

She wraps her arms around his plastron, hugging him tight enough to hold on. Leo revs up her motorcycle and takes off speeding, Amy's hair flying in waves behind her. She smiles at the cool air hitting her face, resting her cheek on his shell.

* * *

She had no idea that she fell asleep, but Leo's shaking was a sign that she did. "Ames, wake up."

"Huh?" She lifts up her head, wiping the drool off from her mouth. "How long was that ride?"

"You only dozed off," He laughs and she recognizes the parking lot. Looking up, her confirmations are confirmed as she looks at the neon sign from Stock N' Shop.

"Uh, what are we doing here?"

"We're gonna break in, and uh...have a little fun," He grins as he starts picking the lock.

"Break in?!" She gets onto her feet. "Leo, drive us back. I'm not breaking into a grocery store."

"Oh come on," He walks back to her, holding her waist. "You asked for fun, and this is it. When was the last time you did anything as crazy as this?"

She didn't want to admit it, but he did have a point. All the time, she had to look after the others like she was their mother. When did she get to have fun? Almost never. And running a business was fun, but sometimes she wished for a break once in a while.

Though, she just wanted to tear up the place as revenge for what Baxter did when they were inside here.

"...Good point. But what about the ba-"

"The others are handling it," He interrupts with a smirk. He rubs her waist with his thumbs. "Come on, just trust me on this, dove. Tonight's your night."

"Okay...let's see what you got."

"Yes!" He cheers, kissing her cheek. He takes her to the front doors, picking through the lock successfully. They walk inside to the empty store, Amy sighing in relief that there's no brat kids or robots dressed as ghosts.

"So what exactly are we gonna do here?" She wonders as Leo walks into the meat section. He takes some sausage and eats it.

"Whatever we want, dove," He smirks between bites, winking at her. She smiles widely as she gets an idea.

Amy pushes Leo outside in a cart, both of them laughing. Then he pushes the cart with her inside, Amy hollering as she throws up her arms and legs. He spins her around.

They start opening bags and trashing dry items all over the place.

She snatches a can of whipped cream and while spraying some into her mouth, Leo grins at how rebellious she could be. And it was kinda hot.

He shakes up a soda and sprays it on her, Amy laughing at him. "Leo! That's cold!"

Leo smirks and grabs her, pulling her into a heated kiss. She kisses back as he presses her against the shelf with a soft bang. A few moans escape her as their rough kiss heats up quickly in the aisle. Every second felt like pleasure to them, their tongues swirling around, making Amy moan once more. She wraps her arms around Leo, pulling him as deep as possible into the kiss.

They've never kissed like this, and it wasn't always this long. As much as she wants to breathe, Amy keeps going for it, Leo's lips soft and addicting.

Eventually, he pulls away, tracing a path to her neck with his lips, leaving her breathless. He pulls back to look at her, their foreheads pressed together as they pant slowly in a slow harmonic rhythm.

"...What are the chances that we don't get arrested?" He suddenly asks.

"Leon, the chances are 3 percent," She rolls her eyes.

"Your butt's 3 percent." A smirk crosses his lips.

"Leo!" She slaps his arm slightly as he laughs. "God, you are such an idiot."

"Am I wrong?"

"Shut up. Let's get out of here before the cops come for me kicking _your_ butt."

* * *

Leo leans against the wall outside the store, hugging Amy close to him. Right next to them is a cart full of food items. "How are we gonna get this back to your place?"

"I don't know. And right now, I don't care. I just wanna lay here for a little while longer..." She closes her eyes, the slightly cold air hitting her cheeks. Leo leans forward and kisses her cheek softly.

"Dove?" He asks softly, looking out to the night sky. He had no idea what time it was, probably not late enough for his brothers to start calling.

"Yeah?"

"What are we gonna do when the others find out?"

"We'll make them beg for details," She smirks in amusement. "And then rub it in their faces that we're actually a thing. Maybe with a cake that says told you so."

"Oh, we're a thing now?" She could feel that stupid smirk that she loved so much.

"No. Yes. I don't know," Amy groans, rubbing a temple. "You're the only thing right now I can control in my life...it's too soon for labels."

"I've been waiting for this for months. It's worth it until you admit that we're a couple," He kisses the back of her head.

"We agreed not to use that word," She hums at his soft lips.

"Pish posh," He rests his chin on her head. "Freedom of speech. Until I hear otherwise, we're a couple."

"Stop," She deadpans, slightly annoyed.

"Everyone, we're a couple!" Leo shouts even though no one's around. Amy drags a hand down her face.

"You're impossible."

"I'm also yours."

"Touche, but we're still in the air about being committed," She glances away with a small frown and of course, he notices it.

"What's wrong?" He whispers softly and she slowly turns her head to look up at him.

"Nothing's wrong," She murmurs, scratching the back of her head. How could she put it into words that all of this is still an experience? "I'm-I'm, uh, this is-"

"Hey, hey," He places a hand on her cheek and she immediately calms down at his touch. "I get it, this is hard for you, and new. Whatever it is, Leon can handle it. I wouldn't pressure you, and I'm not going anywhere...Unless it involves Meat Sweats. I don't think we need to be his lunch anytime soon."

She stifles a laugh at his joke, trying very hard to hold in her laughter as she puts a fist to her mouth. Leo grins as she starts giggling.

"Thanks, Leo. You always know how to cheer me up."

"Like a turtle do," He winks at her, pulling her in closer to look at her in the eye. "Now come here."

He pulls her in for a heated kiss and she smiles, both of them just enjoying the moment.


	37. Man vs Sewer

**Angel: I just wanna make this clear, because I got asked about this while I was still gone and on hiatus for a while ^^' Amy's mother is not abusing her. Capgras can be frustrating for the affected and the people dealing with it. Seeing someone who is an imposter to you can cause anxiety and changes in their behavior. In some cases, a person can be violent towards the 'imposter', and it's said that people with it may never recover. Amy's mom...is one of those cases where she gets violent and might never get better.**

 **I don't think it's abuse if it's because of a condition that is real, and I recommend that you guys actually look up capgras to understand it better.**

 **Also, this is just for future reference cuz I feel like this will come up again, but those of you who still ask me about the TMNT stuff I haven't done, I'm not going to do them, and I still won't. The 80s show has an obvious reason: I don't like it for one, and I have no time to dedicate to it. And for the 90s movie trilogy: Never watched em cuz I'm a late 90s kid to begin with and I wasn't even remotely interested in TMNT as a whole until the 2012 show premiered. I wasn't even writing fanfics back then XD So to those reviewers who ask me to write certain TMNT things I haven't done, now you know why.**

 **And to those who ask about Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart or even mention it to me, I have too much on my plate with my stories, and I don't even watch the show that often. Whenever I'm not writing, I'm either in class, doing class work or tests, or I'm at work nowadays. (I know that it might seem like I'm overreacting, but I'm getting tired and annoyed with this now.)**

 **So please stop talking about these three shows to me on my stories, because I've already discussed them, multiple times, and it's frustrating that I have to talk about this when I've brought these topics up before, and I don't wanna see those requests anymore please. If the review has something to do with this story, then just write about the episode, but please not about stuff in this franchise I haven't done. I'm going to legit lose my sanity at this point if I have to talk about this stuff again…more than I already have trying to figure out why I never saw this and the next episode air on Nickelodeon XD**

 **Sorry about the unplanned hiatus, I didn't think Nick would do that so soon after airing only four new episodes. However...this is October, and the season is supposed to end this year. That doesn't exactly amount to a lot of time left if we get another hiatus before the year ends.**

 **So, apparently they've moved the show to Nicktoons only now, because it's no longer listed underneath Nick programming. But I don't have Nicktoons, so now I have to wait for episodes to be online…and for the Nick app, my provider isn't listed on there for me to use it. -_- Why?!**

Amy is wearing a brown peabody coat around her when she arrives, her shoes being brown cowboy boots. Her hair is in two curled pigtails resting over her shoulders, the ends stopping at her waist. She removes her jacket, revealing a cream colored dress with black tiny polka dots decorating it, a brown belt around her waist. White sheer fabric covers her upper body. A blue locket in the shape of a heart rests on her chest. However, her eyes look tired. The turtles turn around and everyone but Leo notices how exhausted she looks. That's because he's too busy looking at her outfit.

"Fabu!" Donnie calls out to her.

"What's wrong with you?" Raph tilts his head in confusion, pointing to his eye.

"I couldn't sleep," She simply says as she puts her jacket down.

"And why is that?" Mikey looks at her straight in the eye, seeing her eye bags. "You better not be aging faster than we are, missy!"

Amy pushes him away slightly. "I just couldn't, okay? I couldn't even work today. My eyes are too droopy for me to pay attention," She rubs her face with an exasperated sigh. "I need a coffee..."

"You have a coffee maker," Donnie states bluntly.

"Not after it broke, I don't," She retorts back.

"My sons," Splinter peeks into the area. "I am officially giving you a day off so that I can watch my shows!"

The four cheer and the softshell eyes her sapphire locket...for a September birthday. And suddenly he feels like he's about to soil himself out of fear.

Because it's October.

 _Oh._

 _My._

 _Peaches._

 _And._

 _Cream._

"Heh," Donnie chuckles nervously at the teenager, who raises a brow of him. "Good brethren, would you please follow me to the arcade?"

"Why?" Raph asks cluelessly, but Donnie just pulls them away, Amy staring at them in confusion. Then she shrugs it off, thinking it must be a boy or turtle thing. Once Donnie has gotten them inside, he crosses his arms, clearing his throat.

"Did you notice Mia's locket?"

"What? That sapphire around her neck?" Leo tilts his head, gesturing to his neck.

"Yes. What month is associated for a sapphire birthstone?"

The three think about it for a few seconds, but have no answer. Donnie facepalms and shows them a birthstone chart. And once they notice the sapphire picture, they sweat nervously, looking towards Amy again, who seems indifferent, swinging her legs back and forth slowly.

"We missed her birthday?!" Mikey asks in a panic.

"She didn't tell us it was ever her birthday!" Raph frowns, Leo glancing around nervously. He was probably in the most trouble out of all of them. How the shell did he not know his own lady's birthday?! What is wrong with him?

"Isn't she Latina? That means she didn't have a Quinceanera!" Donnie holds his head in realization.

"Okay, so now we have to give Mellie the best day ever!" Raph pumps a fist. "And do not let her know what we're doing!"

His brothers give him a thumbs up. Leo runs up to Amy, sneaking behind her.

"Leo, we agreed. Never in the lair," Amy whispers as he rubs her shoulders.

"Come on, just once, dove. I need iiiiit. And so do you."

Amy glances around to see that no one is paying attention. She thinks that she could use some too, but it would have to be discreet. "Okay, but only five minutes."

"Five minutes is all I'll need."

He grabs her bridal style and jumps to his room without anyone seeing. As soon as they enter his room, Leo leans in, interlocking her lips with his. She wraps his arms around his neck while his go around her waist frantically. As the kiss continues, his tongue presses against her lips, asking for permission. Amy accepts and the kiss gets extremely deep. He parts himself from her, leaving a string of saliva. He plants his face into his collarbone, kissing and nibbling her neck. She can't help but let out a quiet moan, looking towards the entrance. A semi-deep sound emits from Leo, both of them falling backwards onto the bed.

He lifts his head as their eyes meet, panting lightly. His hands are still secured around his waist, looking into her emerald green eyes.

So many thoughts are in her head as he regains his composure. "Best makeout I've ever had," He hums as she laughs, sitting up.

"I hope it was worth it, then, because our rule still applies, Leo. We can't let the others know that we're doing stuff like this."

"Can't we break it once in a while?" He grins at her widely, leaning in towards her.

"Maybe, in the rare occasion that I say yes."

"I'll take my chances if it's anything like this," He kisses her forehead and she jumps off his bed, both of them walking out of his room.

"Where were you two?" Raph raises an eyebrow. Amy almost never goes into Leo's room unless it was serious.

"I was...going over a new menu for the bakery!" Amy says immediately.

"...And you wanted _Leo's_ opinion?" Donnie asks slowly.

"Hey, I'm an unofficial taste tester. I have rights too!" Leo crosses his arms, slightly offended.

"Anyway, what I do in here shouldn't warrant an explanation," Amy rolls her eyes and Raph holds up his large hands in defense.

"Okay, okay. Fair enough." He omits all suspicion.

"Good."

When she walks past him to the arcade, she glances back at Leo and the two wink at each other.

"Wait! We, uh...have plans for today!" Raph stammers nervously, causing her to raise a brow.

"Like what?"

"We are...going on a stroll through the sewers...on the water!" Donnie says slowly.

"As in sailing through sewer water?" It wasn't the most absurd thing she's heard...she shrugs at them. "Okay...I think I still have a bathing suit somewhere in the spare room. I'll go and get it."

When she walks off, Leo, Mikey, and Raph whip around to Donnie. "A lazy day in the sewers? Really?!"

"What? At least she didn't turn it down!"

* * *

A rat crawls around on the pipes while Raph walks around. He's panicking as he looks at his phone. "All alone," He chuckles nervously. "Where are my brothers and Mellie? They said they'd be here!" He waves his phone around looking for a signal, whimpering. He climbs up a ladder, waving the phone upwards towards the surface.

"Uh oh," Mikey comments nervously, placing his hands on his hips. "Donnie forgot to text Raph we were running late."

Donnie just chuckles, shaking his head. "Oh, sweet sweet Angelo. How soon would you forget that today I'm on vacation. Hence my four-shorts," He shows his glistening purple swim shorts. "The international sign for I am not a useful member of society."

"We left the guy alone for five minutes, and we told him we had to find tubes," Leo looks up at their brother as he hasn't noticed them yet, still freaking out.

"This is a job for Dr. Delicate Touch," Mikey pushes past the two. He clears his throat. "...GET YOUR MIND RIGHT, SON!"

He shrieks, falling off the ladder and into the sewer water. Mikey cannonballs into the water as well, splashing his older brother. He takes a deep breath.

"What took so long?!" Raph throws his phone at Mikey's head. "You know Raph gets weird...when I'm let alone."

"Relax," Leo tells him, "Did you get a tube?"

Raph holds up a giant tube, throwing it in front of him.

"Whoa!" Mikey and Leo comment in awe, but Donnie is skeptical.

"Where did you get that?" He demands, Raph's face turning dumb. He stole it from the Turtle Tank, which was being held by concrete bricks...until they fell.

"U-Uh," He stammers, playing dumb, "I-I borrowed it from...Splinter."

"Splinter, who only owns robes and a shady past, let you-"

Leo simply places his tube around him to shut him up. "Where's Mellie?"

"She had to go change into her bathing suit," Mikey tells him.

Raph growls a little impatiently. "Where is she? How long does it take to put on a bath-"

All of them stop talking as Amy stands in front of them, wearing a two-piece coral pink bikini designed with white Hawaiian flowers. The bottom is tied with one bow on each side of her waist. The top is tied with a bow over the back of her neck. She keeps the pigtail style she had on before, along with the locket she was wearing. Other than that, everything else was showing.

"I'm ready," She announces, holding a tote bag over her shoulder, holding her tube in her other hand. However, it's a pink tube with an inflated back to act as a recliner of sorts. They just stare at her because they've never seen her wear...that. "Um, you guys are staring."

They're silent as they don't even blink and she sighs, clapping her hands in front of their faces. The four recoil back while stammering.

"We're not staring," Raph speaks up first. "We're just admiring you—I mean, appreciating the view—I mean-"

"We...like how bare—hot—is it hot in here?" Donnie tugs at his collar.

"Pretty..." Mikey just murmurs at her. Leo notices this and steps up to Amy, leading her away.

"Can I talk to you for a second?"

Once they're out of earshot from the others, he whips around to her. "Are you crazy?! You can't go with us looking like...that!"

"Why not?" She crosses her arms, giving him a look.

"Wh-why not? That's why not!" Leo gestures to his brothers. "My brothers weren't being perverts until you decided to put this on!"

"They are not being perverts," Amy rolls her eyes.

"Oh really? Donnie said you were hot. Donnie!"

"You need to stop acting jealous and get over it," She points a finger into his chest. "They can control themselves, and this was the only thing I had in the spare room. Even if they tried anything, they know that I would kick their asses if any of them even touched me. And guess what, since you looked, that technically makes you a pervert too."

"At least I'm _allowed_ to look at you!" Leo gestures to her. "But my brothers aren't the one going out with you, I am! Why should they get to see the goods?"

She gives him a deadpan look that says 'Really? We're really having this conversation now?' "Let's go."

Amy walks off, causing him to huff. He's gonna keep a close eye on his brothers just in case...

Donnie jumps into the water, Amy throwing her tube onto it. "Let me help you, my lady!" Leo declares, winking at the others to let them know that the special treatment starts.

"No, I'm really okay just-"

Leo scoops her up into her arms, causing her to yelp. He places her in her tube. "Tube time!" Raph declares, pushing Amy forward. Mikey pulls Donnie along and they simply float down the sewer water.

"Okay, lady and men. New York's sewers are a dangerous and complex labyrinth," Donnie starts off.

"Full of creatures and games and rides?!" Mikey asks excitedly. "This is gonna be amazing!"

"What? No!" Donnie tells him, causing the younger turtle to give a dejected look. "Where do you think we are? Just take every left turn to stay on the lazy river, capisce?"

"Whatever Donnie," Raph comments as Mikey starts fanning Amy with a large leaf. "Mad Dogs, ahoy!"

"Okay, now it's appropriate," Amy chimes in, pushing away the leaf gently. "And stop fanning me."

"Grapes, then?" Raph holds out a bushel of grapes.

"No thanks, and why do you-"

He shoves a grape into her mouth, to her confusion. She sighs, placing her sunglasses that she usually wears over her eyes.

"Ain't this the life, guys?" Leo asks, right leg over his left. "A day off from Splinter's training to kick back and bask in the luxury of-"

"Dunkaroo!" Raph suddenly exclaims, crashing into his brothers. The three turtles gasp once they reach surface, Leo harshly coughing.

"You guys alive?" Amy asks, looking around at all of them.

"Ugh...can't you guys just do a sports pass with that smelly ball or something?" Donnie asks bitterly.

"Who you calling smelly? Laceface has been part of this family longer than you," Raph snuggles a football with a red mask over it. "Now, let's run the midnight special, boys! But first-" He places a mirror in front of Amy so that she could tan. Donnie hands her a pineapple drink, Mikey places a crown over her head, and Leo gives her a small cupcake. "Refreshments and a snack for the lady."

"Umm, why?" Amy lifts up her sunglasses in confusion.

"No reason!" Leo grins widely at her. She places one leg over the other, still confused as she watches Raph throw the ball up into the air. It spins around and Mikey jumps into the air.

"Look alive, Leo!" He kicks the ball over to Leo. It rolls on his arms.

"And trick passing!" He spins the ball around without using his hands, throwing it next to Donnie. He thrusts up his arms in a weird position.

"Sports!"

"I got it, I got it!" Raph dives and catches the ball. "Yeah!" He lands in the water, his brothers cheering. Amy couldn't help but clap a little. Raph surfaces, holding up the ball...but then he ends up turning right. "Uh oh."

He suddenly disappears, Mikey pushing past the other two. "Our football!"

Amy lightly slaps his arm, Leo and Donnie staring at him. "Oh, and Raph!"

The four suddenly fall, going left. They end up in a slide, spinning around. The turtles cheer, then scream at least three times. Then they see Raph again, holding onto his tire.

"Guys! Don't leave me alooooooooone!"

"We'll find you, Raph!" Leo calls out as they slide shoots them out into a puddle of sewer water. Amy grips her tube, landing safely without getting her bathing suit wet. Somehow, all of the things the turtles gave her land in their respective positions. Leo surfaces, shuddering a little. "Raph is all alone. Guys, we need to-"

"Go down that slide again?" Mikey interrupts, to Leo's ire.

"Yes, agreed. Raph will make it home eventually, I'm sure," Donnie chimes in.

"Are you hearing yourselves?" Amy looks at both of them.

"No!" Leo shouts at his brothers. "Raph's our brother-"

"Then why doesn't he have Splinter's roughed good looks like we do?" Mikey asks, showing his face. Leo places his tube over him, sending Mikey into the water.

"You know how savage Raph gets when he's alone. He'll totally lose it if we don't find him fast. Clock's ticking," Leo points to his arm.

"But it's my day off-"

"DONNIE, I WILL DESTROY YOU!" Amy points to him threateningly, egging him on to finish that sentence.

"Okay, okay," Donnie backs up a bit, a bit scared, "But just so we're clear, today is my day off. Respect the four-shorts, bros."

"Okay, cool," Leo glances at Amy, silently rolling his eyes. "Now we need to get back up that tunnel to where we lost him."

"You guys gotta try this!" Mikey waves his hand, taking a breath and sinking into the water.

* * *

Raph falls out a pipe, screaming. He manages to hang onto something while holding his tire and the football. "Tire...and Laceface, we just need to...pull ourselves up and-" He notices that both items are gone, falling out of reach. "Tire!" Tears are in his eyes. "Laceface! My emotional crutches!"

He climbs up to a platform, ending up in an unknown part of the sewers. "Okay Raph, you're a little lost, a bit scared...and very alone." Whenever he's alone for too long, he goes crazy and ends up being weird...

He takes a deep breath, holding his head as he tries to rationalize his thoughts. After a few seconds, he manages to calm himself down...

"TIME TO PANIC!"

He uncontrollably starts punching things. "I'm panicking, panicking, panicking!"

After a few more seconds, he lets out a sigh of relief. "Glad I kept that part under control."

He actually didn't as he sees all the damage he's caused to several pipes. "Whoopsie daisy..." He's also damaged the Lower East Side Main Valve, and it bursts open.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa," Leo says as they're walking through a tunnel. "You guys hear that?"

A giant wave appears behind them, sending the four down a pipe. They bump their heads at corners, groaning. Raph hears it and stops walking.

"Guys? Is that you? Where are you? Don't lose it, Raph!" He takes another deep breath. "Please..."

"Hey Ben," Two shadows are watching the lone turtle from above. "Look. It's that red guy!"

"Oh ho ho," Ben chortles as he joins his brother. "It's one of those turtle jerks that we hate for, you know, reasons I can't remember. Let's eat him!"

"Ugh!" Carl gives a sound of disgust. "Do you know how much trouble turtle is to eat? You gotta crack the shell, you gotta drain the goo, you gotta scoop out the eyeballs so he can't see you eating him, plus...it's not even that much meat. Uh, no thanks. Hard pass."

"Okay, what if I told you there's a shortcut? I heard that if you scare the biggest, they just pop right out of their shell!"

"And they just, what, like jump into your belly?" Carl asks in shock.

"Yes! Well, actually, full disclosure, I don't know. But, let's find out!"

They move away from their hiding spots. Underneath the tunnel Raphi s walking through, the others are in pain from the pipe they went through. Donnie puts ice into his pineapple drink, placing in a straw and drinking happily.

"Uh..." Leo has a giant bruise above his head, also missing a tooth. "Where did you get that?"

"Today's vibes were supposed to be chill, so I went ahead and equipped my battle shell with some refreshment."

"Just one, Donald?" Mikey looks at him in disapproval, a bandage on top of his head.

"And ice. I'm not an animal," Donnie retorts back.

"Then give us ice for our horrible mangled bodies!" Leo narrows his eyes at him. Something whirrs in Donnie's shell.

"They melted," He simply takes a sip out of his drink. "Mm, perfect."

"Sure," Amy comes around and stands in front of Donnie's shell.

"Wait, what are you do-"

She rips off his shirt, lifting up his battle shell and taking out a bucket of ice, along with two little baggies.

"Liar!" Leo points to Donnie, who glares at Amy.

"Hey, get out of my-"

She quickly puts some ice in some baggies, placing the bucket back and slamming his shell shut. Then she throws one each to the two.

"Traitor," Donnie narrows his eyes.

"You have to be fair," She crosses her arms at him.

"Donnie, don't you remember what's happening today?" Leo hisses at his brother, causing his eyes to widen.

"I mean, take all the drinks you want!" He hands Amy his drink, and she raises a brow. Okay, so now her suspicions are confirmed that they're definitely acting weird...

"Guys, I think something horrible happened here!" Mikey points forward, falling into the water. They look to see the busted pipes and walls, some of them spilling water.

"Respect the shorts, please. It is my day off. But, if I was able to do some analysis, I'd tell you that-"

"Raph was here," Leo interrupts him.

"Let's not jump to conclusions there, Leon."

He simply jerks a thumb to a wall, where giant graffiti is on it: 'Raph WHZ."

"Maybe this Raph's seen our Raph," Mikey gestures to the wall.

"No Mikey," Amy facepalms at him.

"We better hurry," Leo narrows his eyes in determination.

* * *

Raph is now walking across a bridge. "Alone...must find...my-"

Ben and Carl suddenly land in front of him, slightly covered in sludge. He lets out a scream. "Sewer monsters!"

"Yeah!" Ben decides to play along. "We're sewer monsters!"

"And we're gonna pop you outta that shell, and eat you whole. From face to toenails," Carl grins wickedly.

"And you will live in our monster bellies...alone, forever!"

"Raph...forever..." He murmurs, glancing between the two of them. "Alone...?" His brain literally breaks into two and he glows red, letting out a scream. He punches both of the Sando Brothers onto the bridge. They look up as he pants wildly, stomping on the bridge.

"Savage Raph hates sewer monsters!" He jumps up into the air, both the brothers screaming in terror as they hug each other. Raph slams them on the head with his fists, punches them right in the face, and sends them flying.

"Make him stop!"

"I'm not as smart as I pretend to be!"

The others land in front of the bridge, seeing all the damage. "Someone could get really hurt on this...let's see how far it swings!" Mikey swings it back and forth, Amy barely hanging on. Leo places a hand on his shoulder.

"Chill...I think I found something," He points up ahead. He's gesturing to the hole in front of them.

"Again, I'd love to help bail us all out with my undeniable and prodigious genius, but-"

"Donnie, it doesn't take a genius to know that this was Raph, so shut up," Amy snaps at him. Leo points to the water, where the tire is floating around.

"Look."

"That's Donnie's tire! I mean," Mikey notices the raised eyebrow from his brother. "Raph's tube!"

"Uh, right. Well Leo, since you sell the fewest action figures, why don't you go ahead and jump first?" Donnie gives Leo a smug look.

"Ignoring that," Leo pushes him away. "Raph's lost cause your bad pass ruined the midnight special."

"Leo, chill," Mikey tells him. "We can't freak out. Nobody freak out. Stop freaking out, Donnie!" He shakes Donnie.

"Alright!" Amy suddenly exclaims in annoyance, shutting them up. "That's enough."

The bridge shakes and falls off, sending them towards the water. "Make a human shield around me!" Leo cries out as they land on the tube. They fall through the passage, landing in brown sludge. They surface, shuddering in how disgusting it felt.

"Ew!"

"Guys, we found him! Look," Leo points up ahead as a large lump is sitting in front of a fire.

"Thousand percent not Raph, staking my life on these shorts."

"They're just a pair of shorts. Your brother hates it when he's alone. Get over it," Amy tells him, flicking him on the forehead.

"Raph aloooooone!"

"It might be Raph, but w-who's to say anymore?"

Leo scoffs at him, stepping forward. "This stuff is really caked on."

"Why?" Amy shakes her head slowly.

Raph puts sludge over his face to make a mark. He opens up a lemon, squeezing it. "Lemon?" Carl asks before it lands in his eye. "Ah, it burns! Oh, it's in my eye!"

"We found you," Leo says in relief once they've reached him. "You have no idea-are you barbecuing villains?"

"Oh no, it's those crab guys who were working with Draxum," Amy sighs slowly. They probably stumbled upon Raph when he turned savage. The large turtle sees them, growling.

"More...sewer monsters?" He doesn't see them as his family, but instead, monsters due to the sludge on them.

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry, sewer monsters? Raph, hey, you are harshing the rescue vibes, my man, okay? It's us, your brothers and Mia," Donnie gestures to himself.

"No brothers and Mellie! Raph is all alone!" He grabs a spear and rushes towards them. The four dodge out of the way.

"Raph! Have you lost it? It's us!" Amy shouts at him. Leo ducks from a swing.

"We're here to bring you home!" Leo tells his brother.

"Sewer monsters invade!" Raph yells, continuing to attack. "Must squash!"

"Geez, he's crazier than Draxum," Amy murmurs, Raph throwing his weapon at Mikey. The fabric of his swim suit sticks to a pipe, right next to a flood valve.

"Okay, I will get his mind straight right now!" Mikey slaps his hand around, pulling at his face. "Snap out of it, Raph!"

He just growls at him. "Squash you!"

"Raph!" Amy kicks up her leg, firing an electric ball towards him. He throws his spear at it, and it completely disintegrates. Leo and Donnie jump on him from behind to restrain him.

"He still can't tell it's us!"

"It's gotta be this gross stuff," Amy looks at herself.

"If we wash the sewer sludge off," Leo notices the valve. "Mikey, open that flood valve!"

"Hmm," Mikey stands in front of him, trying to pull, but because of the sludge, he can't get a good grip. "Need something stronger..."

"Use Raph, use Raph, use Raph!" The other three shout as Raph towers over Amy. She yelps and jumps out of the way.

"No one's gonna shout the answer to me and make all my problems disappear! Time for a little razz-ma-tazz!"

He stands in front of the valve with a big smile. "Raaaaph~ I'm a nasty sewer monster! Don't you wanna come squash me?!" He wiggles the back of his shell, Raph throwing off the others. He rushes towards Mikey, who jumps out of the way just in time. He hits the valve, sending a bunch of sewer water onto the four.

The Sando Brothers are washed away, the four surfacing. They've been hit with sewer water, but they are clean now.

"Wait, where's Raph?" Donnie looks around for him. Raph suddenly grabs the back of his pants. "Four-shorts...were my un-doing!"

"Leave, sewer monsters. Still sewer monsters! Savage Raph...destroy!" He throws Donnie across, who lands in trash. Laceface suddenly rolls in front of Leo.

"Laceface...? Guys, I know how we can get our brother back! The Midnight Special!" He throws the football into the air, confusing Raph.

"Look alive, Leo!" Mikey kicks it like he did before. The lime-green turtle does the same trick.

"And trick passing! It's all you, my lady!"

Amy kicks it up with her knees, flying it over to Donnie. He flings it up.

"Sports!"

"No!" Raph immediately dashes into action, catching the ball, laughing. "Yo, did y'all see that?!"

"Raph!" The others hug him.

"You're back, baby!"

"Hug, hug, hug!" The three turtles' eyes shine at Amy, who rolls her eyes and steps in.

"Back? Uh oh...did I get weird again?"

"Super weird! Even by my standards..." Mikey glances away.

"But, we learned a valuable something about never something you alone again," Leo gives him a smile. He didn't want to say the word alone again in front of him.

"I love you guys! Now let's go home and try tubing again tomorrow."

"Someone needs to carry Amy!" Mikey is about to grab her when she pushes him away.

"Okay, why are you guys acting weird?" Amy places her hands on her hips. "All of this special treatment isn't like you."

"Whaaat? We don't know what you're talking about," Donnie places his hands behind his back.

"Nothing's different about today!" Raph exclaims with a wide smile.

"Yup, just a regular day, my lady," Leo bows to her.

"And totally not because we forgot your birthday."

"MIKEY!" The three shout at him.

"Huh?" If she was honest, she didn't even mind it. Her birthday was just another regular day in her opinion. "Guys, I'm not mad."

"You aren't?" Leo asks curiously.

"No," Amy shakes her head. "Besides, I didn't want anything extravagant anyway. So…thanks for today."

"No seriously, are you planning our deaths?" Raph replies, not getting the point. She just rolls her eyes and walks off.

"Amy!"

"Are we awaiting your wrath or not?!"

"We can't take the suspense any longer!"

Donnie, while still sipping his drink, sees that all of the tires from the Turtle Tank are gone. He squeezes his drink and it explodes.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAPH!"

* * *

Leo and Amy are enjoying a slice of pizza in her loft, with the turtle lost in thought. Compared to his lady in front of him, he wasn't anything without her or his brothers. How could he be a proper face man if he couldn't even protect them?

"Something on your mind?"

He looks up to see Amy staring at him, looking concerned for once.

"Noooooo," He sweats nervously with a big grin. How long had she been noticing his off look? Maybe if he sat there like that, she'd ignore it and move on. She did admit she was sleepy, after all.

Amy narrows her eyes slightly. "What'd you do?"

"What?" He blinks in confusion. "I don't always do something!"

"You sweat and smile widely when you lie," She deadpans without hesitation. "I may be sleep-deprived, but I'm not blind."

"Dang it," He mutters under his breath, sighing slowly. He might as well get it over with… "Nothing happened, it's just…"

Amy's eyes soften at his sudden confession, giving him a signal to go on.

"From the beginning, you've done nothing but put up with me, accepting this whole situation thing without expecting anything in return. And you kept pushing me away for a while...and when you didn't, I realized...you're too good for me. I wish I was bold like you. You always say what you think, you chase what you want, and you've been through so much and yet you're so brave that it's remarkable! Compared to you...I'm just...nothing. The nothingness that forgot your own birthday…and who can't stop being jealous..."

"..." She's seen him insecure before. There was the time with the maze at Run of the Mill Pizza. It was a stupid thing to do, of course, but she could understand why he did it. It was natural, but she had never seen anything like this...

"Is this about what happened with Donnie's mech and in the sewers?" She plays with her hair nervously and they both fall into silence. Neither had dared mention it ever since it occurred, but it was obvious that it really affected both of them.

"...Yeah," He nods slowly. "I felt the same way I did when I found about your mom. No matter how much I try, it's not enough to save you." Heaving a sigh, he puts an embarrassed hand to his face. "And now I feel stupid for that whole speech...probably because I am."

"BULLSHIT!" She slams her fists onto the desk, causing him to look up at her fierce eyes.

"You're not stupid. That is the dumbest thing you've ever said to me, and believe me, there was worse. You're just telling yourself this stuff because things are uncontrollable, and you don't know how to deal with it. Just because one certain villain or any other thing hurt me doesn't mean you failed or that you're an idiot. We just have to make the most of it, and that's all!"

All he could do was think about how others chide him for his one-liners...how he couldn't protect others...how he wasn't the best...but Amy was the only one so far who told him otherwise. Yet it wasn't enough...

"But..."

"Nope. I'm not having it. Follow me," She grabs his arm, pulling him over to the counter. "What is this?" She gestures to a cake that isn't frosted.

"A cake...that I made."

"Yeah, that you understood in a way so that you wouldn't forget the recipe. If you could do that, then you're obviously smart. Not everyone can bake the way you do," She points to his forehead, knocking him back a bit. "Now try the thing and tell me how it tastes."

"How is that gonna help?" He asks skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

"Just do what I tell you! The baker knows best," She closes her eyes as he takes off a piece and puts it into his mouth. His eyes widen at the taste, chewing further.

"I made this?!" He looks down at it in surprise and she nods sharply with a knowing look.

"You also saved us from the minotaur, technically saved your brothers when they went 'missing', and let's not forget you saved me from Draxum when we met. Leo...you do things that others wouldn't do for family. And...well, you'd do anything for me," She rubs her neck nervously. She wouldn't normally say this stuff, but he needed to hear it. "It doesn't matter if I get hurt, because I ne...I need-" She coughs into her fist, saying the words she'll never let him hear.

"I need you."

He smiles softly, recalling the memories, even if he couldn't hear that sentence. His arms speak for him as he brings her into a hug.

"Your brothers might've been staring too much for your liking, but I don't want to be casual with them. Just you."

"Thanks, my lady. I feel better now."

"Good," She recoils back, trying to keep a stoic face over what she said. "And really, If I say don't worry about my birthday, then don't."

"Okay…but I'll make it up to you next year! What was that you said before?"

"Nothing," She crosses her arms, turning away.

"Tell me or I'll portal you to a screening of the Catwoman movie."

"A, you wouldn't ever do that because you're not that cruel to send me see that horrible shit, and B, you don't have your sword, so I don't have to tell you a damn thing," She places her hands on her hips proudly.

"Hmph," He crosses his arms in defeat. "I'll break you yet, my lady."

"Good luck with that, I'm already exhausted."

"Can we go back to that?" He asks curiously, causing her to raise a brow. "Why haven't you been sleeping?"

"That's a me problem," Amy crosses her arms stubbornly.

"Oh, so you can help me with mine, but I can't help you with yours?" Leo leans in with a smirk. "It's okay to accept help."

Amy sighs slowly at this. If she insisted on not telling him, he'd find a way...and it might not seem possible to others, but he would get her to talk whether she told him or not.

"I can't sleep...because I get nightmares about my siblings. It's not…it's not fair!" A wave of angry tears erupts from her eyes, surprising Leo. "That stupid sheep mutant! He should have _left me alone_! And what did he do instead? Cause that stupid accident to happen, and now my siblings are DEAD! And my father committed suicide because of him! My family, my whole life...ARGGGH!" She pushes down a water bottle. "You won't understand! No one does! I have been working so hard for FIVE YEARS just to make ends meet. But does anyone know just how much I have been affected? NO! Nothing's fair anymore, Leo! I don't know why I even bother! I just want to be with them. I'd rather be dead than live another day without seeing my family again."

He patiently listens to her rant, unsure of what to do. Sure, he could sympathize with her. He went crazy trying to find his brothers when he thought they were 'portal jacked,' and it took a lot to bring them back. But this is different. Amy's completely angry, screaming at the world every day for the injustice. It was like she was...

Lifeless.

"Ames..." He starts to say.

"Don't," She interrupts, pointing a finger. "Don't try to be like everyone else. Please."

He has no intention to speak, knowing fully well that she was broken. He gets up, putting down the fork from the cake, and wraps his arms around her as she sobs it all out. She wraps her arms around him in return, crying on his shoulder. He didn't pull away the entire time she cried. He just kept holding her until she was calm.

"Shh...Ames..." He whispers in her ear, rubbing her back in circular motions. "It's okay to cry. I understand completely."

"My parents went through so much to provide for us," She tells him, bracing herself. "They worked day and night to give us everything they never had and...now I feel like a whole piece of me was taken away, never to be replaced. When Lucia was born, I made her a bracelet, and she never took it off." She sniffles, Leo holding out a tissue. She dabs at her nose. "At the funeral...she was still wearing it, before she was lowered into the too-soon dirt. I wonder...I wonder if she still remembers me giving it to her."

The tears come back again, but this time Leo is prepared. He gently pulls her in as she cries again.

"My lady, the good thing was, you have people out there to care for you, right? You can connect with others to feel better."

"But they don't understand how much they meant to me!" She cries out.

Leo considers this for a moment. "Does anyone besides your sister-in-law or niece know them that well?"

"My Grandma Louise. But she's gone too..."

"Oh. Then that's different." He keeps his arms around her, pulling the girl closer to him. "But I'm sure that you had a lot of good memories with them."

She smiles weakly. "We would have pizza parties and we would make Marco play princess even though he wanted to play on his XBox. I almost forgot. That...was a long time ago."

"Yeah, it was, but that doesn't mean they won't be forgotten."

"Carol and Elena didn't even come to the funeral..."

He pauses at this explanation, placing a gentle hand on her back. He couldn't imagine what that would be like...being haunted by dead family members all because a psychotic warrior scientist messed with her head...and the little family being left not coming to the funeral.

"Hmm..." Leo notices her drowsy eyes drooping and snaps her fingers, causing her to blink. He holds up a finger as he gets an idea, grabbing her bike keys. "Come with me."

"What?" She blinks in confusion. "Where?"

"Just trust me," He holds out his hand to her. Eyeing it hesitantly, she notices his earnest and gentle eyes.

"...Okay..." She takes a hold of his hand.

A little while later, they stop at the local cemetery, Amy gripping his waist at the sight of the entrance. He turns around to her as she hides her face in his shell.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"Hey, Ames. It's okay," He whispers in a soothing voice. "I brought you here to get you some closure. I really think it'll help."

"...What if it doesn't?" She murmurs softly. "What if I can't get closure?"

"Then I'll give a hundred one-liners!"

Amy snorts a bit. "Your one-liners do nothing."

"See, that's where you're wrong, because you've started laughing at them!"

She rolls her eyes slowly, shaking her head as she gets off the bike. The wind lifts her hair up softly, and suddenly she feels so much better being outside with Leo. She's scared to show herself, due to her messy face and hair, but Leo assured her she was fine.

They walk over to the three tombstones. Her father was buried here after his death, as he would've wanted to be close to them...

"Hey guys," She speaks softly, kneeling down on her knees. "Um...how are you?"

Leo kneels down with her, never letting go of her hand.

"I'm sorry I haven't visited. Life's been different without all of you. But I know in my heart that you're still here with me, always encouraging me to pursue my dreams, helping me out in the toughest times...even if I didn't tell you about them. Your presence may have disappeared, but there are other people who can help me..." She chokes on her voice, but keeps going. "I hope life is going okay up there. You don't know how much I miss you. I was close to giving up, but thanks to Leo, my-" She coughs a bit, not sure what to call him. "Um...er...dating companion, I'm back on track. I'll remember you forever and always, Dad...Marco...Lucia. You never failed to amaze me in the past, and always will as I grow older. I will always...remember you..."

Tears spill again as Leo brings her close to him again. "...Dating companion, though? Seriously?"

She lets out a tiny laugh at this and he grins. No matter how serious things got, he always managed to make her laugh, intentionally or not.

He clears his throat and looks up to the sky. "Hey, uh...Amy's family...or should I say Alina's? Anyway, you don't know me, but I'm Leo. I've heard a lot about you all, and I'm glad to get to know you. Your time may have been short, but you'll live forever in our hearts. I know how it feels to have someone important to you...being taken away. Or at least, similar to that..." He looks down at Amy and a small blush comes to her face. "But you'll live on in our memories. We'll never forget you."

"I'm important to you...?" Amy murmurs in confusion as she looks up at him.

"Well, yeah. What can I say? You are pretty remarkable to me," He smirks at her and then pulls out three roses out of nowhere, planting one at each tombstone. "I hope you accept this offering. A reminder of a daughter, a sister...and a person full of strength, hope, and love."

He straightens up, putting an arm around Amy as they both look down at the graves. Amy waves slowly, and he does the same, the two of them walking back to her bike.

"Thanks, Leo...for everything. You really cheered me up," Amy smiles softly up at him, yawning a little. "It's the perfect late birthday present…"

"Like a turtle do," He winks, picking her up in his arms. She rests her cheek on his shoulder, closing her eyes peacefully.

"Something tells me you'll sleep well tonight, my lady," He plants a soft kiss on her forehead.


	38. The Mutant Menace

**Angel: Forgot to mention this last chapter (mostly because it's been so long since I've updated this story), but I have 92 people favoriting my TMNT 2003 story! For those 2003 fans who've read my story and to people who are still reading it, thank you so much! I really appreciate it! And somehow, I have over 270,000 views on it, with more than half of the episodes having over 1,000 views! Yay! *throws up arms happily* I can't even describe how awesome this feels :D and yes, I've written the season 2 episodes from two weeks ago, but I'm not uploading them until it's time to release them. If I do it now, it'll give away spoilers…**

A video plays, first showing the turtles and Amy at the destroyed Albearto's when they were helping April with the birthday party.

"Birthdays ruined."

Then it goes to the amusement part. "Parks destroyed."

Lastly, it's the museum where they were stuck together. "Museums vandalized. Tonight, on Cyber Sleuth, we reveal the culprits. Beware...the Mutant Menace!" Two mysterious figures appear in the video. One of them has the Albearto mask while the other has a duck mask.

"Mutant Menace?!" Mikey exclaims at the tablet. "Omigosh! They're talking about us!"

"I can't believe _we're_ getting blamed for this! Virtually everything in there was somebody else's fault! ...I think," Leo glances around. Donnie lets out an annoyed sigh.

"So unfair...although it is a boost for my emotionally unavailable bad boy image...you know?" Donnie looks away.

"Look guys," Raph slides in front of them. "I think this might be an opportunity to turn a dark cloud to a silver lining. You fellas ever read this fine piece of literature?" He holds up a book.

"Horrible Wolfie, the Harmless Wolfpup?" Donnie reads the title.

"Yes! It's the touching story of a young wolf who shows up at a town full of humans, who all wanna run him through with a pitchfork."

"That's supposed to be touching?" Mikey asks skeptically.

"But Wolfie didn't run away. He performed a bunch of good deeds for the town, and they welcomed him with their hearts! So that's what we'll do! We'll get in our giant Tank, and we'll smash people in the face with good deeds!"

"Yeah!" Mikey bobs his head in agreement. "We are good-dooers!"

"Oh, this is gonna look great on my college application!" Donnie clasps his hands.

"Any votes for staying home during the anti-mutant panic?" Leo raises a hand. "No? Okay. Let's go!"

* * *

The turtles are visiting Amy's place to help her with the store, watching her make cupcakes.

"Can you stop staring?" She deadpans as she scoops frosting into a bag.

"We have to know the secret to your chocolate dream cupcakes!" Raph recites, holding up a finger.

"They're life-changing!" Donnie leans in towards Amy with crazy eyes. "We must learn everything we can...so that we can make more...and give them to the world..."

She rolls her eyes at their reasoning. "It's really not that complicated. Even Mikey could do it."

"Hey!" He pouts at her.

"But we can't see everything with these blocking the way!" Raph walks behind the counter, throwing a container of baking soda across the room. A loud crash is heard and Amy's mouth drops open. The turtles could only stand in shock and silence. Amy makes a sound of disbelief as she holds her temples.

"Oh my God...oh no...I just got that..." She murmurs in horror after a few minutes. Her eyes dart around the mess that Raph had just made. Leo and Mikey cringe at Raph, who's smiling sheepishly.

"That was an exclusive, rare item from my favorite movie...I can't-I waited two days in line to get it...the rose from Beauty and the Beast...with the glass and everything..."

The turtles take their cupcakes and slowly back away. Any moment now, that sadness would turn into anger, and they wanted to live.

"Now I have to drown my tears in those cupcakes..." She looks around for them, only to look outside and seeing them dash out with her cupcakes in hand. She sighs slowly at this.

"It's days like these that make me want to reevaluate my life..."

* * *

"So why are you doing this again?" She asks as she's standing in the Turtle Tank.

"Now, each time we do a good deed, we'll leave behind one of our friendly calling cards," Raph is driving the Turtle Tank.

"This good deed brought to you by the quote un quote Mutant Menace. Winky face!" Mikey winks at them. "Who wouldn't love this?"

"Guys, it's not the end of the world," Amy crosses her arms. "Not everyone is going to like you. That's life, just accept it."

"No! They wanna tarnish our name, we'll earn it back!" Raph declares, causing the girl to facepalm. They stop near a fire extinguisher, which is broken. Donnie steps outside, measuring it before a bunch of guns emit from the shell. He melts the extinguisher so that no more water is coming out of it, and they leave, throwing the calling card onto it. A fire man tries to access it, but since it's blocked, he can't.

A cat mews outside a window, and Leo thinks that it's locked outside. "Aw, kitty need to go inside?" He opens up the window for him. Mikey leaves the card. The cat was actually trying to get inside so that it could try and eat the pet canary.

Raph and Donnie stand in front of a broken sidewalk. Raph stomps so large that all the stones lift up. Donnie fixes the street, making it look good as new. A man and a dog trip onto it, getting stuck in the still wet cement.

* * *

"Boys, Mellie, we're good-dooers! And what do good-dooers do? They good do! And they do it well!" Raph places his hands on his hips proudly.

"New York is going to adore us!" Donnie presses a button to show the news. "Local news, a team of heartless pranksters dumped a quote un quote Mutant Menace evil winky face, are wrecking havoc across the city. We go live to unpaid reporter, Cyber Sleuth."

"The fire rages..." A car is on fire, the melted extinguisher still inaccessible. The cat is then grabbed by someone inside. "A canary flees for its life." Two workers try to get out the man and dog. "A Maltese is trapped in concrete. What do these tragedies have in common? The horrible villains called the Mutant Menace!" The duck shows the calling card.

"WHAT?!" Raph screeches at this. "We called ourselves the Mutant Menace as a joke! That's why we used the just kidding quotes! And the just kidding winky face!"

"They must've taken it the wrong way. Using Mutant Menace wasn't probably the best idea," Amy shrugs at him. "You could've just not melted the extinguisher. The cat thing is forgivable, but you also could've left a sign for that sidewalk."

"Raph, you know I love you, but people don't focus on punctuation when they're stuck in concrete," Leo pats him on the plastron.

"There's something familiar about those disguised voices..." Mikey presses his ear to the video.

"No doubt you're wondering who we are. We are none other than..." They remove the masks to reveal themselves as Baxter Stockboy and Brit Worley. "Boy genius Baxter Stockboy and millionaire kid Britney Worley!"

"It's Brit, not Britney!" Brit growls at him.

"Then you should talk to your parents about that."

"They were expecting a girl," He sags his shoulders a bit.

"What?" Mikey asks in shock.

"Baxter Stockboy?" The three who officially met him deadpan.

"And Brit...again," Donnie rolls his eyes.

"I am not looking forward to whatever that highly skilled underachiever has in store for us," Leo crosses his arms.

"Man, I thought we were done with those two," Amy crosses her arms.

"And never fear, New York! We will expose these monsters for what they are! We have been tracking them from the Stock N'Shop blimp, which my partner here paid for himself."

"No big deal," He brushes a fist against his suit smugly. Then the feed changes to show the top of the Turtle Tank.

"They're tracking us?!" Raph points to the video.

"Hey, we look like a giant turtle," Mikey points at it.

"Yeah, everybody was saying go stealth, go stealth, but come on, look at us! We have got it bad!" Donnie presses his face against the video.

"You too can track the Mutant Menace, by accessing the Baxter Stockboy/Brit Worley live stream...available for a reasonable fee."

"You give us the money," Brit gestures to himself, "And we give you the scoop."

"Aren't you already rich? Ugh!" Amy grits her teeth at them, clenching her fists.

"...We can't let anyone see us," Leo says slowly, "We need to get home, muy rapido!"

Amy couldn't help but grin a little. Raph pushes past him and slams on the accelerator. "What the-?" His eyes widen as he comes to a stop. An angry mob is blocking their path, with pitchforks and signs.

"It's them!" A man points to the Turtle Tank. "The Mutant Menace!"

"Get 'em!"

"Wait!" Amy cries out, crawling out from a window to look at them. "My friends were just trying to do good deeds so that they redeem themselves for their past actions! Yes, I know how they handled it was stupid-"

"Hey!" Donnie protests to her, but she ignores him.

"But they'd never do anything wrong on purpose. The Mutant Menace was supposed to be a joke, but it obviously didn't stick."

"They've kidnapped Amy from Smith's Sweets and brainwashed her!" Another random person points up at her.

"What? I'm not brainwashed!"

"Let's rescue her!"

They start throwing tomatoes at the Turtle Tank, everyone peeking outside. Amy scrambles back into the vehicle.

"You know, you don't normally see pitchforks in midtown Manhattan," Leo couldn't help but comment.

"Oh mama, people are getting rustic out there," Mikey cringes at the angry crowd.

"We were trying to be nice!" Raph gestures to them, "They never read Horrible Wolfie?!"

"Um, Raph...that's the same book I used to read to my little sister and my niece," Amy raises a brow at them.

"Four shields down 50 percent," Donnie's eyes widen.

"Wait a sec, we have four shields?!" Leo screeches at him.

"We do not," Donnie deadpans and Trash Wizard lands on the glass, slightly breaking it.

"You shall not pass!"

Raph yells and pulls away from them. He manages to swerve to the right, but none of them notice a tiny blue robot following after them. It drives underneath the Turtle Tank, opening up to reveal six robots. They jump in and take control of the vehicle.

Baxter Stockboy grins when he sees that the control was a success, using a remote controller to drive the Tank. They all yelp as they speed up, Stockboy swerving the car so that it doesn't hit a man, but he drops his groceries.

"Oh, Raphaela, would you mind easing up on the gas, dear friend?!" Donnie exclaims at him, twitching a little.

"I can't, t-the controls are stuck or something," Raph tries slamming on the brakes, but they're inoperable. The levers move on their own. "No steering! Donnie, what's going on?"

"Oh no, oh no!" Donnie shouts, looking at his wrist computer. "Ah, okay, whew. Good news, guys, my engineering's fine."

"The bad news?" Amy raises a brow expectantly.

"Oh, and something's taking control of the Turtle Tank."

"How'd they get control of the Tank?!" Amy whips around in shock.

"Look out!" Mikey screeches as they're approaching Times Square.

"I'm trying the taxi rocket!" Raph presses a red button from one of the levers. The left rocket starts up.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!"

"Move out of the way!" Amy shouts to two people walking by. The Turtle Tank swerves to the right. Raph pulls the other lever, the right rocket activating. This causes the entire vehicle to turn, landing on billboards. Then it drives sideways, a woman looking up in surprise. They land in the opposite direction, heading away from all the people.

"Wow, nice work, Raph," Donnie pats his back. "But we can't keep this up forever, the rockets have limited fuel!"

Leo tries to open the door, seeing one of the robots gluing the door shut. "Trapped? I knew being nice to people would get us in trouble."

"You weren't being nice in their eyes!" Amy gestures towards outside. "You should've asked me before you went out doing that stuff."

"We were helping people!" Donnie retorts back. The control panel starts sparking, getting their attention. The robot chews through to get inside, jumping in front of them. A red screen appears, showing an incoming message from the boys.

"Chello~" Mikey replies, Raph pointing a finger into his face.

"Mikey, we do not chello the enemy!"

Amy rolls her eyes and answers the message. "Hello mutants! And the girl who ruined us! You no doubt have noticed my microbots are in control of your vehicle!"

The Turtle Tank swerves to the left, capturing a man with chickens before he rolls onto the street.

"What's your angle, Stockboy?" Leo wiggles his finger to the hologram.

"And what does Brit have to gain for it?" Amy narrows her eyes.

"Just watch!" They laugh, breaking into the screens at Time Square to show their faces. "New York, we will deliver the Mutant Menace to the steps of City Hall in five minutes! Subscribe and donate to our live stream and witness the spectacle, or see it in person, if you dare!"

"Premium tickets are for sale on his website," Brit points to him. "We accept cash, credit cards-"

"I hate those kids!" Leo kicks away the microbot. "They're gonna expose us all to New York just for money?!"

"Yeah, we don't have any money, we get by just fine mooching off of Mellie," Raph chimes in.

"Not you guys," Amy shakes her head. "They want money from the people. To exploit you for their own selfish gains."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we're as poor as dirt," Donnie's spider shell flips through a stack of money. Amy snatches it away from him.

"Okay, I've told you a hundred times to stop going through my purse," She points a finger at him. "So quit touching my hard-earned money."

The Tank suddenly goes faster, knocking Donnie and Amy to the ground. The left rocket from the taxi powers up. Raph pulls on the right lever, but it doesn't budge.

"I can't steer, and I can't stop!" Raph waves his arms in alarm as he sees people in front of them.

"Step aside, it's portal time!" Leo stands in front of them, waving his sword around.

"No! Stop, no!" Donnie yells at the top of his lungs.

"Leo, don't!" Amy calls out as he creates a portal in front of the vehicle. Suddenly they're not in New York anymore, but about to be eaten by a large monster. The others screen as Leo blushes in embarrassment. He quickly waves the sword again, making another portal that sends them back into the city. Amy sighs in relief, but since the microbots have control, they slide to a stop in the back.

"Hey, one of Leo's portals didn't work, we all totally expected," Donnie deadpans, Amy slapping him on the arm. He then sees the floor hatch. "Oh, Newton's apple! How could I forget the floor hatch?" He opens it up, where all they could see is road. "I can just shimmy out and-"

"No time for that!" Raph grabs him and throws his brother away. "I'll go!"

"But Raph, it's not-"

He jumps anyway before Amy could warn him...and he gets stuck in the hatch, wiggling around.

"...big enough for you to fit," She finishes her sentence with a sigh. Raph shouts in alarm as he sees a large pothole up ahead, with traffic cones in front.

"Donnie!"

The cones hit him in the face. "Ow, ow, ow! Make this hatch bigger, ow, ow, ow!"

"I made it to your specs, but that was when you were in your 'doing sit-ups everyday' phase," Donnie murmurs, looking away.

The Tank jerks around again, the boys grinning evilly. The microbots then beep as City Hall is up ahead!

"Three minutes till the reveal of the Mutant Menace!"

"What do we do, what do we do?" Mikey panics a little. "What do we do?!"

"We send this gas bag on a highway helium!" Donnie fires a bowling ball towards the blimp, shooting out three more. The boys get an alarm from inside the blimp, cringing and rapidly pushing a button. They're sent flying out of the blimp with a parachute before the bowling balls hit the blimp, causing it to fall.

"Ahh! Now they're shooting blimps!"

"The whales of the sky..." A fisherman comments, the boys safely landing in front of City Hall.

"Step right up, folks! Any moment, you get the whole Mutant Menace, the dangerous spectacle sweeping New York!" Stockboy starts off.

"One dollar per person, cash preferred," Brit rubs his fingers together, the crowd holding up money.

"Okay, we're out of jet fuel," Leo rushes up front. "We're out of bowling balls, and we're gonna be exposed to New York, smelling like the inside of this Tank!"

The smell hits Amy's nose, causing her to faint.

"Relax, Leo," Mikey speaks up from behind. "We still have nature's bowling ball: me," Mikey gestures to himself. He puts his limbs into his shell, bouncing into the bowling ball launcher. "Launch me, baby!"

He's shot into the sky. "Hot soooooup!" He gets out of the shell, flinging his weapon around. "Mystical whip!" It hits the back of the Tank.

"No, no, no!" Donnie shouts as they're about to hit someone.

"There they are!" Stockboy points behind the crowd. "They're right behind you!"

Mikey spins around on a pole. "There they are! Turn around, turn around!" The boys shout, but the Turtle Tank turns right by the crowd just as they turn their heads to see nothing.

"Hey, that's an empty street!"

"Oh come on!" The two shout in frustration. The crowd starts complaining as tomatoes are thrown at them.

"My dad makes all your cars!" Brit shakes a fist at them. The Turtle Tank drives away and Mikey sighs in relief.

"Mikey with the save!" He congratulates himself, but the Tank is still under control by the robots. "Oh no..." He yelps as he's thrusted forward, a man with a tow truck standing in the street. He shouts at the Tank, which breaks through the construction pickets and soars up into the air. Mikey yells as they jump across the bridge, landing in the water. The microbots are touched with the water, shutting themselves down. Leo lifts up his head to see Mikey sliding in front of him. Amy gives him two thumbs up.

"Nice one, Mike! You see that, Raph?"

Raph can't speak as he's still stuck in the hatch, holding his breath.

"Oh...right," Amy cringes at him.

"Hey Donnie, we're sinking and Raph is swallowing the Hudson River," Leo calls out.

"Do you really think I would've built this tank without an amphibious mode?" He presses a pink button, a happy birthday banner coming out of nowhere, shooting the two with confetti. Amy and Leo glance at each other, unamused. "Oh, that is the wrong button. Here we go!"

Airbags are deployed, lifting the vehicle and Raph out the water.

"Dumb Stock N' Shop publicity stunt!" A man grumbles.

"Total scam! I spent 60 dollars on a pitchfork for nothing!"

"Noooo!" Brit shouts as he's stripped out of all of the money they made. Police sirens are heard.

"Baxter Stockboy, Brit Worley, we're taking you in for unlicensed advertising, causing mass hysteria, and driving a blimp without a learner's permit. Alright, take him to kid genius jail and take Mr. Worley here to a real jail cell."

"Mark our words, this isn't the last you've heard of Baxter Stockboy!"

"And Brit Worley! Let me go, I will sue you!"

"Well..." Mikey says dejectedly. "I guess we'll never get people to accept us of being good-dooers like Wolfie..."

"Maybe not, but we'll keep trying. Because we're the quote un quote Mad Dogs! Winky face!"

"Hey, uh, Raph," Donnie says, holding the same book. "Did you ever finish reading your book here? Because turns out once the villagers accept Wolfie in their hearts, he eats them all."

"Gotta start reading stuff till the end."

"Ugh," Amy facepalms at him before smirking. "Maybe you don't have to keep trying."

"Huh?" They all ask in confusion.

Amy walks up to the crowd, as they've arranged a rally to fix everything that the 'Mutant Menace' did.

"Hey, it's Amy!"

They start to cheer and she waves sheepishly to them, clearing her throat. "Yes, the Mutant Menace isn't real...but my friends were behind all of that stuff. It's not their fault. They just wanted to do something nice for you."

"Then where are they?"

"Yeah," Other people start agreeing with the man.

"They can't show themselves to you," Amy holds up a hand. "But I can assure you that they never meant to inconvenience you all. Take it from me, Amy from Smith's Sweets, that there are good mutants out there. I didn't believe it out there, but...not all mutants are bad," She smiles a little. "After all...the ones who tried to help are my family."

The turtles start tearing up, except Donnie of course.

"Aw, Amy's really changed her opinion on mutants now," Mikey grins proudly.

"Well, not totally. There's still Draxum and those other bad guys," Leo chimes in, smiling at the girl.

"I'm not crying...she's crying!" Donnie wipes at his eyes.

* * *

"Perfect," Leo kisses Amy's cheek as they were kissing in her loft. "So tan and strong," He sucks her earlobe, making her gasp. He does the same with the other ear and kisses the soft flesh on her neck. "Gorgeous. Soft. Just like you. You have no idea how beautiful you are. I'm going to tell you that every day."

Amy blushes, not used to all the praise. She never considered herself anything special and certainly not beautiful. But she doesn't mind Leo saying it.

"Leo, I like the attention. It's nice. It makes me think I'm something. Almost. I'm not that pretty and my past...well."

"You are something, Dove," He plants a kiss on her lips. "You're a work of art. Mine and I'll never stop admiring you and wanting to hold you. Nothing about you is ugly. You're perfection."

Amy reddens at the praise again. "Thank you..."

"No. Thank you," He reaches out and strokes her cheek. "Thank you for letting me have you and getting to know you better. I know it wasn't easy letting me and allowing yourself to be this open."

Amy smiles softly. "Well, that's a sign of trust, you know. I can be honest when I'm with you. I like having attention and...feeling special."

He smiles back. "I'm glad that I can make you happy and grateful that you agreed to let things between us play out."

She laughs sheepishly at her expectations, rubbing her neck. "Ha ha...sorry about that. I can be pretty stubborn."

"Eh," Leo shrugs at her, stroking his thumbs on her waist. "I actually like it when you're playing hard to get. It's like a little game between us. I know it's only been a few weeks, but I swear I won't hurt you again. No matter what, we'll stay together."

"Right," She hugs him in agreement and he hugs her back. "No matter what..."

"I'll make sure that anyone who hurts you will die by my hands!"

Her eyes widen as she pulls back to look at him. His face is all scrunched up to look tough.

"…If the lake drowns me, will you kill that?"

He pauses at the question, sweating a bit as she bites her lip, trying not to laugh. She can tell that she's stumped him because…

There's really no logical answer for that.


	39. Turtle-dega Nights:The Ballad of Rat Man

**Angel: Sorry for the late update. They can update two Robot Chicken episodes in two days, but they can't upload TMNT episodes after they premiere on Nicktoons only? XD And I would pay for them on Youtube, but I can't dedicate my money to 2 dollars every week...I'm trying to save for something important with my health. Don't worry, I'm not dying or anything, I just need to get my wisdom teeth out.**

The crowd cheered in the Battle Nexus. Lou Jitsu was facing against a two-headed snake creature with wings. They snarled at him before attacking. He leaped into the air, a cat mutant gasping in awe along with everyone else. The snake heads looked around for their opponent, as he had disappeared. The man appeared behind them, chuckling with a smirk on his face. He grabbed their necks and split them apart. The two screamed in horror once they saw what he had done.

Lou Jitsu crossed his arms proudly as he watched the two heads bump into each other.

"Jitsu! Jitsu!" The crowd yelled as he was given the trophy. He looked up at the cat mutant and winked. She squealed, fainting onto the ground. He was a champion, a legend...

But now he's a rat sleeping on an armchair as cereal is being thrown at him. One of them falls into his mouth, making him choke. He hears laughing as he sits up.

"No!" He shouts at his dream being over, glaring at his sons. "I was having such a glorious dream!" He grits his teeth, Leo pointing at Donnie.

"It was Donnie! Punish him!"

Donnie's eyes go wide and Amy smacks Leo upside the head.

"Get out of here, you hairless teens!" He shouts and they quickly leave. He sags his shoulders once they're gone. "Where is the respect..." The rat walks away dejectedly to his 'do not touch' cabinet. His trophy from all those years ago is still there in the back behind the stuff in one of the shelves...He takes a hold of it, blowing off the dust. He can see his old face on it until he wipes it off, showing who he is now. Splinter sighs slowly.

"Simpler times..."

Then he sees a poster that was behind the trophy, taking hold of it. "Calling all drivers from across the realms. Prove you are champion! Enter the Death Tube every Friday night. No guts, no glory!" This is exactly what he's been missing! He rubs his chin. He doesn't have a car...

But he knows two people who do.

Donnie and Mikey are facing off against each other in one of the video games from the arcade.

"My driving skills will remain supreme!" Donnie declares as Amy puts chocolate/vanilla frosting on a cupcake. Mikey ends up touching a pothole, giving his brother the win. He grins at his brother, taking his prize and taking a bite. "Oh, delicious, Mia!"

"Excellent driving skills," Splinter speaks up, getting their attention. "Is it just me or are all three of you taller than the last time I saw you?"

"You mean like, three minutes ago?" Mikey asks in confusion.

"Oh, and so handsome and pretty too! When was the last time we did something together?"

"Hmm," Donnie looks at his wrist computer to pull up a calendar. "Let's see..." He scrolls up multiple months, everyone staring at him. "278 days ago. You said 'Hi Purple'...to Raph."

"9 months and you haven't done anything with them since then?" Amy raises a brow at the rat. "Alright, what do you want?"

He just laughs off her suspicion. "Exactly! I want to spend some quality time together now."

"Yes, please, where do I sign?!" Mikey holds out his hand, eyes shining. "Just give me the pen and I'll sign-"

Donnie pulls Mikey to face the game, grabbing Amy and pulling her closer. "Play it cool. He might be possessed."

"You're right. I always fall for this!" Mikey agrees as Amy glances at Splinter briefly.

"We, uh, we might able to squeeze you in," Donnie tells Splinter.

"Yeah, I'm already done for the night," Amy shrugs at them.

"Oh, how would you boys and girl like to enter your Tank and your bike in a father-children car competition?!" He doesn't want to embarrass himself by telling them the truth. They already joke around enough with him...well, mostly the turtles, anyway.

"Um, Splinter, I-"

"You want to enter _my_ designs in a father-children competition?!" Donnie asks happily, interrupting Amy before she could say anything further. "Omigosh! Dreams do come true!" He grabs Splinter's arms and spins around joyously, throwing the rat onto his shoulders.

"I thought we were playing it cool!" Mikey whispers after him.

"And he was worried about you?" Amy questions as they give each other a look.

* * *

Donnie opens up the garage, where the Tank and Amy's bike sit there side by side. "Well, here they are!"

Splinter starts to inspect them, kicking at the tire. "So, like, how much damage can these things take?" He hits the Tank with his staff, doing the same with Amy's bike.

"It is a Tank and motorcycle, so they're probably pretty good on defense," Mikey rubs his neck as Donnie and Amy look in slight horror.

"Maybe we add a few more armor shells, to really protect your creations," He smiles at the two.

"Great idea, Dad! Can't be too careful, they are my babies." Amy elbows him in the arm. "I mean, our babies, because that bike wasn't yours, and yet I upgraded it. I mean, if anything happened to her, I'd be...I'd be lost."

"This bike means a lot to me," Amy gestures to herself. "I'd be crushed if it ends up getting destroyed..."

"What kind of car competition exactly is this?" Mikey asks skeptically, because Splinter's suggestion is very odd...

"It's a...hm, a car fair! You know, like where people bring their prized cars out, to be...pet and shown off! Like a pig or a spider," He smirks at his examples.

* * *

The vehicles are driven side by side on the road. "This booster seat is amazing!" Splinter exclaims as Donnie had it installed if Splinter ever drove the Tank for emergencies. "I can actually see! No more guessing what that thing I ran over was."

"Ah, I'm so glad you like it, Dad," Donnie smiles, giving a thumbs up.

"Excellent work, son. This is going to be a glory-filled night! You have made me very-" He suddenly comes to a stop, Donnie falling onto the floor. "Oh, we're here!" He points up ahead at the Doom Dome. Amy raises a confused brow.

"What kind of car show is named the Doom Dome?" She murmurs to herself.

"Cool, cool, cool," Mikey leans in towards Donnie, who's smiling happily. "Abort! We are in danger!"

"Mikey, I think he was about to say proud! Oh, it felt amazing!" Donnie's eyes shine. "I'm gonna chase this feeling."

"Good for you, but I have a bad feeling about this..." Amy says into her helmet's communicator.

"Amelia, your bike is one of a kind! I can't wait to see how much it can handle!"

"Thanks," She smiles a bit for the compliments. Maybe she'll stay for a little while and then leave...

They drive inside the building, where they're in a dark environment with fire, rats, and other things. "What kind of fair is this?" Mikey cringes as he sees two people beating each other up. Amy eyes them, the sight raising a few red flags in her head. They see the rats and Mikey gives a nervous look. An ice cream man waves at them.

"Ice cream!" Donnie exclaims at the sight. "Say Dad, wanna share one?"

Mikey sees the spikes up ahead as they enter the arena. "You children ready to have some fun?" Splinter asks them.

"You bet we are! We are number-"

"WATCH OUT!" Amy's voice suddenly screams from their communicator and a van hits the Tank.

"My baby!" Donnie laments as the Tank spins around, Splinter just laughing. Amy looks to the source, about to yell at him when six spotlights fall on the six vehicles that have entered the derby. Fire appears in the center as the mutants in the crowd cheers.

"The last entries!" Big Mama's bellhop from her hotel is the announcer. "Seal them all in!" All of the exits are closed. "Last vehicle standing wins!"

"Did you bring us to a crazy mutant demolition derby?!" Mikey demands to his father.

"A demolition derby?!" Amy's eyes widen. "Splinter...this is my brother's bike! I can't participate in this!"

"Who is ready to win some glory?!" He puts on his sunglasses. "Purple promises that your brother's bike can turn into a car!"

"First off, no I didn't and second, yes it can, just press the green button."

She sighs slowly and does so. The wheels suddenly inflate, turning from two wheels to four. A nose cone, sidepods, and front wing endplates appear, keeping the same red color. Then a spray can appears, spraying some black bodywork of a stargazer lily, and a turtle emblem. The black is painted onto each side of the rear wing, Amy's name appearing on the front. Then a spray can of white sprays 'Red Thunder' onto the tires. The seat turns into a recliner seat, the car doors appearing.

Amy places her hands on her cheeks in awe. She'll put her anger at the rat on the side for now, because she wants to live from this derby. "Oh my cupcakes, it's amazing!"

Both he and Amy slam on the pedals. They take off, four vehicles following after them. Amy's hair flies behind her and they dodge the cars.

"I thought you said they'd be petting my baby, not destroying her!" Donnie screams at Splinter as the shields go down to 80 percent. The rat laughs as he bumps into a van. Amy skids to a stop, noticing the make and design of the van.

"Oh no," She mutters in dismay.

"Tonight's special, roadkill!" Meat Sweats exclaims.

"This guy!" Mikey shouts upon seeing him. "He doesn't like us!"

Amy looks to her right, starting up the car again and moving out of the way. He bumps into the Tank from the left side, who is Repo Mantis.

"He really doesn't like us!" Mikey cringes at seeing him. Someone bumps into them from behind.

"What are they doing here?!" Hypno demands, recognizing the cars.

"He not only doesn't like us, but I kinda broke his heart!"

"Um, no, you didn't," Amy replies from their communicator.

"What have you children been up to?" Splinter couldn't help but wonder.

"More than you know, Splinter!"

Suddenly, a laugh is heard and Amy looks up ahead to see an Action News truck...driven by Warren Stone.

"Hm, never seen him before," Mikey rubs his chin as he and Donnie give curious looks.

"I feel the chill of disrespect in the air," Warren Stone narrows his eyes.

"Good because you're annoying as hell!" Amy shouts towards him.

"Everybody here is a villain! We gotta get out of here!" Donnie looks up towards Splinter.

"We can't, they sealed the doors," The brunette says and a honk is heard, Warren Stone bumping into both of them.

"Battle stations...if we are going to win that trophy...then we-"

"Wait a minute!" Both Donnie and Amy interrupt him, "What is going on here?"

"Eh, a little of this, a little of that, all in the name of fun," Splinter says nonchalantly.

"This is not fun!" Donnie screams, pulling the handbrake. Amy does the same thing.

"Especially when this is my brother's bike! I would never enter it into a demolition derby!" Hypno bumps into both of them and they roll to a stop upside down.

"You said this was a car fair!" Donnie shouts once they're okay. "You knew I wouldn't have come if you told me it was a demolition derby!"

"Turn this tank back on now, and your car back on, or else-"

"Or else what?! You tricked us into coming here, you said you wanted to spend time with us, but you lied!" Donnie interrupts, tears in his eyes.

"If you had told us the truth, none of this would've ever happened!" Amy defends from her spot, looking disappointed. Splinter stares at his son and then the communicator, surprised by their declarations. The four cars start to circle them, all of them with the goal of defeating them.

"Why aren't they moving?" Hypno eyes them.

"They're sitting ducks!" Repo smiles evilly, Meat Sweats laughing.

"Fools!" Warren exclaims, "Now I'm gonna break 'em wide open!"

"Uh, guys? Maybe we could have this family discussion at a later, safer time?" Mikey calls out nervously as he watches a burning tire rolling by.

"Donatello." Mikey gasps sharply at him saying Donnie's name...and actually getting it right! "Amelia. I may have lied about this event...but I never lied about wanting to spend time with you. I would not have brought you here if I did not."

Donnie looks away instead of saying anything. Amy wipes at her nose, still a little upset. Her brother's bike...was the last thing she had left of him. And yet he wanted her to compete in a demolition derby...Mikey hears cars and looks outside to see the four cars surrounding them.

"Um, great. Everybody loves everybody! Now let's-"

"If you had just asked me to hang out with you, I would've said yes!" Donnie speaks up, a little saddened. "I like spending time with you too, Dad..."

"Splinter...I may have hated mutants...but I don't hate you. When you allowed me to stay with you when my shop was damaged...I was really grateful to you. And after hearing that you were the famous Lou Jitsu," Amy smiles weakly. "It almost felt like...I was part of the family."

"It will be the last time any of us hang out if we don't-"

"You...are right," Splinter admits slowly. "I went a little crazy...I just..." He looks at his rat hands. "I wake up everyday as a tiny rat man. And I wanted some glory back in my life...I'm sorry. To the both of you. I know how much you love that bike, Amelia...I should have never signed you up as well."

The four cars rev up, ready to attack. "Take me home, boys..."

"Yes! Great idea! Let's get out of here!" Mikey exclaims, both Amy and Donnie thinking about what Splinter told them. They couldn't stay mad at him...they were family. And consuming his anger was not something Donnie did...

The cars prepare their weapons, charging right towards them. Repo chuckles as Donnie opens his eyes, Amy grabbing the gear stick. He turns on the headlights of the Tank, legs coming out from both vehicles. The Tank fires a disk, hitting Repo dead on. The two vehicles flip onto the sand.

"Got 'im! Alright, let's win this thing! Dad, drive!" Donnie exclaims to his father's shock.

"What...? Donnie? Amy? You do not need to do this. We can just-"

"Dad," The turtle places a hand on his shoulder. "You're awesome, okay? You're the one who introduced us to Lou Jitsu. And yeah, sure, you're a rat, probably would've been cooler if you were a tiger or something, but that's not the point! The point is, if winning this means that much to you, then...hit that button, daddy-o!" He throws the rat into the booster seat.

"I get it, Splinter," Amy smiles a little. "I get that you want that recognition back. But I already respect you...well, more than I did back then since you always shovel down my baked goods. Anyway...you're like a second father to me. And if—no, when we win, I'll still be proud to be like a daughter to you."

She would be mad, in fact she should be, but...family is important, and she can understand that he wanted a day to be like Lou Jitsu again.

Splinter smiles, grabbing his sunglasses and putting them over his eyes. He presses the red button, revving up the engines and boosters. Amy pulls the lever, her engines starting up.

"You two handle Hypno and Meat Sweats. I'll handle the bugs," She smirks a little. Splinter lets out a scream as the Tank thrusts forward from the sudden power. The Turtle Tank bumps into Meat Sweats, who rolls onto the sand. Warren drives up to them, but Amy turns her car around to face him. Her car takes off, her hair flying behind her as she approaches him.

"Feel the wrath of the hardest hitting mutant since-" His car gets hit by Amy, causing an explosion. He lands on Hypno's car window, causing the hippo to scream in horror. Amy stops the car, standing up to look behind her, smiling with a hand on her hip in a cool pose.

The Turtle Tank spills oil in Hypno's path, which puts him out of the competition.

"And another car is destroyed!" The announcer is grabbed by a spider hand, Big Mama appearing on the jumbo screens.

"Those turtles and the girl!" She recognizes the drivers. "They stole my whizzy webs! I want their cars destroyed post hissy-haste! Get her ready..." The spider orders her mutants, who grin.

Amy sees Repo approaching her. "Come here, little girl! I'll show you who hustles Repo!"

" _I_ hustled _you_?" She feigns innocence, jumping back into her car. She skids to the right to avoid his attack. The car speeds right past the Turtle Tank, causing the three to look out in surprise. She skids to her left, maneuvering around the already down cars. Amy pulls on the gear stick, turning the car on its side. Meat Sweats' van acts as a ramp, the red car soaring into the air once she uses the ramp. Repo falls for it as everyone gasps. Amy then moves to drive, moving the car forward so that it lands near the Turtle Tank. Repo's car actually flies outside the arena, landing in front of the entrance. Amy smiles as she lightly covers her eyes with her arm, watching the large explosion from outside.

"Serves you right for hustling my friends," She gives a two-finger salute towards the explosion.

"We did it, children! I am so pr-" Splinter starts stammering for some reason.

"Proud? Proud? You were gonna say proud?" Donnie asks eagerly. "Why do you keep stopping at proud before-" Mikey directs his eyes towards outside as Amy's mouth drops open. A rev is heard from a door opening, the three bellhops growling. Big Mama is in a car of her own just as big as the Turtle Tank.

"A last-second entry! The greatest derby champion of all time, Big Mama!"

"Big Mama?!" Donnie, Amy, and Mikey exclaim at the same time.

"Hello Big Mama," Splinter just sees her as another person to beat. She bumps headfirst into the Turtle Tank with a laugh. They roll to a stop, Amy turning towards the spider mutant.

"Hey!" She yells angrily, moving out of the way from missiles. She drives towards the two cars.

"Shields at fifteen percent!" Donnie reports, Mikey hugging his legs and shaking.

"What are we gonna do?! I'm too pretty to be crushed!" Tears fall out of his eyes.

"We won't be crushed," Amy narrows her eyes in determination.

"Get ready to launch the Shell Hogs," Donnie speaks up, "I'll draw her fire and when she's got me lined up...you take her out." He's about to enter when Splinter throws him away.

"Bring him the win, boys..." He gets into a Shell Hog, shocking the others.

"Father!" Mikey cries out, holding out a hand dramatically.

Big Mama ducks her head from three shuriken, looking downwards to see Splinter. "Amy, with me!"

Amy appears on the other side, following after Splinter. She starts chasing them instead.

"Hey, it's working!" Mikey looks outside the window. "They took the bait!"

Donnie skids the Tank to a stop.

"That's right, that's right! Follow us, follow us!" Splinter calls out.

"Take them out!" Big Mama declares, thinking she has them.

"Heading your way, boys! You've got one shot!" The rat says into his communicator.

"Oh yeah!" Mikey presses on the pedal, Donnie wearing goggles over his face to fire.

"Come on...come on..."

A missile fires from behind and Amy drives in front of Splinter, holding out her hand. He grabs on and she pulls him into the backseat.

"That's my girl!" Splinter cheers and she smiles a little, an explosion appearing between the two vehicles.

"Got 'em!" Or so he thinks.

"No we-oh no," Big Mama murmurs, the Turtle Tank appearing out of the smoke.

"Yo spider bitch!" Amy calls out, "Eat dust!"

"And boom goes the dynamite!" Donnie fires three lasers from the Tank while flying in the air, destroying the car. The announcer had his eyes closed, looking to see the dismantled car. Big Mama gets out, only to lay down defeated. The crowd cheers as both mutants and friend have won.

"The cars win! The cars win!"

The brothers cheer, Mikey hugging Donnie. Amy skids to a stop, waving to the crowd as Splinter gets out of her car. He removes his glasses, looking up to see the same cat mutant from all those years ago. She's aged a little, but he still recognizes her. She waves at him and he smirks, winking up at her. The mutant is so happy that she seems to have a heart attack.

His sons wave to him from the tank and he sighs happily. "My children...I am so proud."

Donnie pushes Mikey off him. "Did you just hear that?!"

Amy lets out a small chuckle, some streamers falling into her hair.

"My daughter," Splinter inspects her car. "Where did you get this bike?"

Her eyes turn sad. "My brother gave it to me...in his will."

He gives a forlorn expression. He had been told what happened to her family long ago. "I...I am sorry."

"It's okay...it didn't take too much damage anyway."

"Your parents would be proud of you, Amelia," He tells her with a small smile.

She smiles softly at the rat.

* * *

Leo and Amy are looking at the stars together in Long Island. Her head is rested on his neck as they lay down in the grass next to each other. All the stars look like little white dots, but that was okay. Just the sight alone was enough for them.

"You know, I could get used to this," Leo puts his arms behind his back casually, already feeling relaxed. "You don't see stars like this back in the city."

"My family would come here whenever we wanted to see them," Amy hums at the memory. "You know any of the constellations?"

"Um," He looks up at a cluster of them, pointing to them. "I think that's, uh, Ursula Major right there...because of the handle of the ladle," He fibs, as he's only heard Donnie mention it once.

"Really?" Amy smirks in amusement, closing his eyes. "Because it's Ursa Major. Not Ursula Major. This ain't no Disney universe. And that's not even it, it's Orion."

He laughs sheepishly, rubbing his neck. _Man, I'll never live this down..._

Amy laughs and upon hearing hers, he can't help but laugh too because it was that contagious. "Pastelito, I didn't even have to look at it."

Her eyes widen as Leo glances at her. He can see the sweat dripping down from her forehead. _Oh no...you and your big mouth, Amelia! Callate!_

"What?" He asks in confusion. His Spanish was limited, and Amy was probably the only one he could ask since she's fluent in it. "What did you call me?"

"Nothing," She denies, looking away with a huff. Maybe if she was huffy, he'd forget about it.

"Come on, Ames, tell me."

Damn it.

"Freedom of speech," She tries the lawful tactic. Anything to make him stop asking.

"I have a right to know! I'm not going to stop asking, you know. And I can be _very_ persuasive," He leans in towards her ear with a purr. She shivers at the sound, sighing in defeat. She really didn't want to know what he'd do if she didn't tell him.

"I called you...little cake," She admits in embarrassment. He stares at her, trying not to grin.

"Oh, you did? I finally get a Spanish nickname, huh?"

"Shut up," She mutters to him. "It was a slip of the tongue."

"I don't think so, senorita," He leans in closer to stare at her in the eye. "You and I both know it meant something since you love baking."

"So what?" She mumbles under her breath, ashamed he found out. Was he gonna start teasing her now just because she changed a bit? She didn't even think about the nickname at first.

Leo smiles down at her, kissing the top of her head. "It's not so bad, Ames. And I'm not gonna laugh at you. Let's just sit here and enjoy the sky, my lady."

She smiles a bit upon seeing his. "Okay."

"...Can you call me papi next time?"

"Ay dios mio," She mutters, a hand on her forehead in slight annoyance. He laughs at her reaction. He just wanted to hear her Spanish again.


	40. The Ancient Art of Ninja Hide and Seek

At morning, Leo wakes up around 8 AM, listening to Amy's soft snoring beside him. He still couldn't believe that this gorgeous girl was the reason for his secret escapades as he stares at her. She's so perfect and she's his and he cherishes her so much. He snuggles up to Amy, nuzzling her neck and inhaling her smell of strawberries mixed with flour. The smell of her baked goods always drove him crazy as he could just imagine how delicious it tasted.

If he had to be honest, everything about her make him crazy. From her cute little pout when she's waiting for something to be cooked to her adorable smile. She's sheer perfection. She'd hate to be called beautiful, but she is. Breathtaking and he could look at her forever and not tire of it. If Baron Draxum or anyone else tried to hurt her, he'd get rid of them. He usually doesn't think that way, but it was worth it if it meant Amy was happy.

He nuzzles more into her and wraps his arms around her.

"Mm, morning," She says sleepily, her eyes still closed. "Is it time for me to get up, papi?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to," He pouts at the thought of her leaving.

"Me neither. I wish we could stay like this all day. You're so warm."

"You too," He presses a kiss to her shoulder. "But we have to. You have work and I have training and then..."

"I know, I know," She sighs wearily, turning around and resting her head on his plastron.

"And we're still sneaking around, still stuck in confusion on what we are..." He murmurs as he hugs her close, staring at the wall as they enjoy the silence. Was it always going to be like this? Them not going anywhere? What were they gonna do years later and still be stuck in this position?

Suddenly, he feels something soft touching his lips, looking down to see Amy pulling away. She smiles smugly. "Had to get that in before I got up."

The turtle chuckles, cupping her cheeks and kissing her fully.

Just as Amy is about to open up for the day, a small creature comes in and knocks her out with sleeping powder.

* * *

Raph spins a pizza box in his hands. "Yes!" He opens up the box to show the deliciousness of pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, and onions. His brothers all drool at the sight. "Okay, rock paper scissors for the first slice. Me and Mikey are up."

Leo leans in towards Donnie. "It's funny how Raph always starts against 'Mr. Only Chooses Scissors'." He lightly rolls his eyes.

"One, two, three." And as predicted, Mikey loses to Raph.

"No!" Mikey holds his arm. "Not again! How do you do it?"

He just laughs as he holds the slice, but then the lights go out. Once they turn back on, a wide-eyed Raph is holding nothing in his hands. He tries to take a bite, but finds his pizza gone. "Pizza. Slice. Gone! Which one of you creepoids took it?!"

Thre's another black out and less than a second later, the whole pie is gone, much to the shock of the others.

They all scream at the sight. "The table's eating our pizza!" Mikey exclaims and they guard the table, the youngest noticing the chair move. "The chair!"

They stand ready to attack when the chair disappears, replacing it with Splinter and Amy. "Wait, Pops? Amy?"

Splinter is eating a pizza slice while Amy lets out a sneeze, covering her nose. "Yes. And so begins your next lesson."

"Let me guess, how to starve your enemies to death? And what's with you, my lady? Are you sick? I thought you were at the bakery." Before she could answer, a slice of pizza is thrown at Leo's face for the cocky remark.

"No! Today, you learn the art of ninja stealth and invisibility. The foundation of every great ninja. I pulled Amelia out of work for the day. Lights off-jutsu!" He claps his hands.

The lights turn off again, and when they're back on, the slice Leo was holding in his hands is gone, and so is Splinter. "What?" He sighs in frustration. "You couldn't have done this last week when Mikey cooked Brussel sprouts?!"

* * *

They stand behind a billboard in broad daylight, Amy blowing her nose. "You must remain sleek and nimble, so no weapons today. After my lessons, you will be ready for a mission inside Big Mama's yokai hotel."

"You know about Big Mama?" Leo asks in surprise, Splinter's eyes widening.

"I...have heard stories," He sweats a little. Then he turns to face them. "Ninja invisibility lesson number one: Keep to the shadows." The rat hides behind the billboard. "Lesson two: Blind spots." He appears right behind Donnie. "Use your enemies' blind spots to your advantage," He appears in different spots from the turtles and Amy, surprising all of them. "Lesson three: Be light as a feather, as quick as a really fast feather!" He somehow zips past them in all directions, causing them to stare. "Quickly and softly. Lesson four: Slooow Moootion Juuustuu," He slowly moves his tail, inching Donnie's staff.

"Please, like you could possibly sneak up on-" The turtle then notices that his staff is gone. "Hey! Give me back my tech-bo!" He pats his shell. "And wallet."

"Huh. Never thought slow motion would work in stealth," Amy murmurs to herself.

Splinter chuckles, throwing the staff away. "Now, using your new skills, sneak upon me and attack!"

"Here I come!" Mikey declares, pointing to him.

"Ninja tip: do not announce attack."

"Roger that! Watch me stick to the shadows, baby! Lights off jutsu!" He claps towards the sun, expecting it to go out like the lights back in the lair.

"Really? You think you can turn off the sun?" Splinter asks sarcastically. "No more fooling around, wait where is Amelia?"

The turtles are just now noticing she's gone, looking around for the girl. She appears underneath the billboard, grabbing Splinter's tail and throwing him in front of her.

"Whoa!" The four exclaim. Never in their lives had they seen anyone, much less a human, beat Splinter in stealth.

"I just followed his instructions," Amy waves it off, walking up to them.

"I'll show you fooling around!" Raph replies to Splinter. "Light as a feather jutsu, activate!" He stomps on the roof repeatedly, causing the others to yelp as it felt like a jackhammer. Eventually, the water tower breaks. "Uh oh."

Amy pushes him out of the way, flinging a hand and creating a shield above their heads. The force of the water is too strong, however, and they end up in an alley, groaning. Raph holds his head as he peeks out of a pile of garbage bags.

"Boys!" Splinter safely lands on a trash can. "You are not kindergarteners! Focus! Lesson number five: blending into your environment." He throws down a smokebomb, disappearing.

"What? Where'd he go?" Raph's eyes widen.

"We'll never find him," Leo looks up and the brunette lets out a sneeze.

"Found him," She mutters under her breath. Splinter appears next to Raph, wearing a turtle costume.

"Yeah, he is way too smart for all of us teenage turtles and female. Right, my dudes?" He nudges Raph.

"Tinyese brother is right!" Mikey holds his head in a panic. "He could be that pigeon, or that moped, or that trash pile!"

The four narrow their eyes at the trash pile, tackling it, but end up landing on each other. "Well done, my sons! You just beat up a big pile of garbage!" Splinter smacks all four in the head. "It was me all along!" He slips the costume right off.

"Whoa!"

"What a disguise!"

"Tricked by the master."

"But you're not a turtle! Oh wow!"

Splinter facepalms with a sigh. "Mellie, how did you know that it's him?"

"I'm allergic to all kinds of fur, remember?" Amy gestures to Splinter's grey fur. "Mutant or human. It's because of him my sinuses are going crazy," She blows her nose again, to the disgust of the others.

"Eww."

* * *

"Maybe the only way to get through to you is fear. I am sending you four rodeo clowns and baker on a mission right now!" He points towards Big Mama's hotel. "You must sneak into Big Mama's and grab the tags off her demon dog Gus. That vicious beast cannot get you to focus, then nothing will! Now go!"

"Why do you need his dog tags?" Amy stares at him like he's crazy. What would he want them for?

"That is none of your concern!"

"Pops…you're asking her to get tags from a dog with _fur_ ," Leo elaborates to the rat, but he still didn't get it.

"What's the problem?" He wasn't listening to her explanation earlier, because she doesn't need as much training as his sons.

"Master Splinter, don't you remember that I am slightly allergic to Gus' fur and will blow our cover the minute I get in proximity with him?!" Amy shouts at him in frustration.

"You take your anti-allergy pills every morning," He states knowingly.

"Not _this_ morning! Your sons used them all up to see if they could crush them up with Sci-fi's tech bo," She gives her friends a glare and they smile innocently. "And I didn't have time to get another prescription because you dragged me out of work. Why do you think my nose is running around you?"

"Is it serious?" Splinter raises a brow at her.

"My pills fight off the allergy for a whole day. At the most, I'll go into hives within a week without them, but-"

"Alright then go!"

She sighs in frustration, summoning her bike. The theme song goes off from the horn and she jumps onto it.

"Can we hitch a ride?" Mikey holds up a hand.

"No! It's because of you guys that I'm not up to snuff. Get a ride from Donnie."

All four of them groan and she turns her bike into stealth mode, so that no one from inside the hotel could hear her. Donnie drags the others along as he uses his battle shell to fly towards the building.

"Ah, they will do very well," Splinter smiles as he watches Amy's bike jump off the edge of the roof, flying after the brothers. One day goes by. "Maybe they stopped for sundaes. Oh, that's it. And they probably stopped so that Amelia could get her medication." Another day goes by. "A little fear never hurt anyone." And then another. "A giant demon dog never hurt anyone either..." The whole time he was standing on that roof, he had been keeping his eyes open, but there was no sign of the turtles or Amy.

"I sent my children to their doom!" He panics, landing in the alley. "Don't worry, children! Help is on the way!" He scrambles as fast as he could towards the hotel.

Once he's inside, he sneaks into the elevator, jumping onto the ground once the elevator is empty. He sneaks behind the bellhop and tackles him to the floor, also snatching his uniform. He chuckles at the disguise and the doors open.

"High alert!" The fox employee warns everyone. "Chip chop, lads! Everyone to their stations!" Everyone scrambles around to do their tasks.

"High alert?!" Splinter's eyes widen in concern. "My children...they have been discovered!"

"Hey you!" The fox points to him, "Hold the elevator!"

He tips his hat off, tapping close repeatedly. "Faster, stupid elevator! Faster!"

"Let's go, let's go! High alert, high alert!" All the employees somehow manage to fit inside the elevator, the doors forcing themselves shut. They go up one floor and they stampede out of there. "Let's go, let's go! High alert, high alert!"

Splinter doesn't follow, since someone has to tend to the elevator. He lets out a sigh of relief. "I have failed my children...I do not deserve my greatest dad coffee mug..."

A cart suddenly wheels in all by itself. "Okay, we made it to an elevator."

Splinter's eyes widen as he recognizes the voice. Mikey and Donnie are in the cart to get around without suspicion.

"They are not all caught! I am as pleased as I am totally shocked!"

"Is that Gus?" They hear their father's voice, but don't recognize it. "Grab his tags!"

"I cannot, because it is the bellboy," Donnie hisses slightly at him.

"They are still trying to get the dog tags," He smiles proudly.

"We gotta get to another floor, and I know just how to do it!" Mikey holds up a finger. "Lesson number four: Slooow moootion jutsuuu," he reaches towards the buttons, pressing one and lowering his arm back underneath the sheets. He laughs, causing the rat to facepalm again. Not exactly what lesson is supposed to be used for...

They go up two more floors. "Oh no," Splinter murmurs as he sees a brown leg stomp on the carpet. "It's Gus! He is even more ferocious than I remember! May my sons proceed with caution just this-" Donnie and Mikey get out of the elevator, causing him to scream quietly.

"Whoa!" The cart comes to a stop, getting the mutant dog's attention. He sniffs the air, eyes widening.

"Something doesn't smell right!" He goes into demon mode, Splinter hiding behind one of the lights up above.

"Oh no! He's sniffed them out!" He leaps into the air, resting above a light and grabbing the lid with his tail. He lifts up the lid to reveal that the meal is rib with butter on top.

"What?!" The dog immediately tears it apart, not giving the turtles a second thought as he sucks on the bone. "Thanks for the snack, food cart. You're no longer on my to pounce on list." A compartment on the floor spins around, causing him to disappear. Donnie and Mikey peek their heads out from the cart.

"We blended!" Mikey cheers happily as Splinter returns to the elevator.

"I must make sure the others are safe..." The doors close and all the other employees rush past it.

"Everyone to your stations! Go, go, go!"

They run into a room...where Big Mama is laying down on a massage chair, being tended to like she's in a spa. "Big Mama must be massaged and manicured, asap!"

"Yes..." She smiles happily.

* * *

Another floor and Splinter finds out where Gus ended up. He's in front of a fountain, lapping water. The rat gasps as he sees Raph roll on the floor.

"Raphael! Remember your training. Stick to the shadows..."

Raph is not even attempting to hide and Splinter slips past Gus. The turtle notices a large plant, and rather than hide behind it, he grabs one of the leaves. He chuckles as he covers his head with it, tiptoeing over.

"That is not what I meant by sticking to the shadows!"

He tiptoes past the dog, who pays no attention as the turtle appears behind him. He reaches towards his collar, but then the mutant sniffs in the air, his spikes appearing.

"What is that awful smell?"

"Oh no, Raph's 'sneaking up on people' stink!" Splinter exclaims knowingly. He sees a tennis ball and a racket lying nearby. Just when Gus stands up, Splinter hits the ball, and it lands in front of the dog's eyes.

"Ohhh...aw, sweet! Ball!" He lands in the fountain during his excitement, sending Raph into the wall. Splinter slides a painting in front of him as Gus pops out of the water. "Wait...who threw this ball?" He sees the painting and growls, looking away. "It's like I'm being followed, but no one's there...total bummer day." The wall turns around so that he leaves.

"Now to find blue one and Amelia..." He goes up two floors this time, ending up in the same room where people can watch the Battle Nexus. "Too many yokai...surely my sons would not risk finding moving on Gus in here." His eyes widen as he sees that Leo is hiding behind the bartender.

"Blind spot..."

Amy's nose twitches as her nose is red. She was gonna tell Splinter before she was interrupted, but whenever she goes by a day without taking her medication, she'll get the flu and a runny nose. Next day was scratchy throat, the third itchy eyes and harsh coughing, the fourth fluid in her ears, the fifth a nasty rash, the sixth swelling in her cheeks, and the last is hives, which is when her condition gets severe.

Thankfully it's only been three days, but it doesn't make stealth any easier for her. She was gonna have to use every fiber in her being to stay quiet.

"My lady, let me handle the dog tags," Leo places his hands on her shoulders. She hacks up a small cough, losing her balance as her throat is slightly red. He manages to hold onto her, her bangs messily getting onto his shoulders.

"Papi, I need my pills…" She coughs again and he lowers her behind the counter. Her voice is a little raspy and throaty since the effects of her medication wear off after 24 hours.

"I know," He frowns in guilt. It killed him to see her like this. She's not in a fatal state, but it was because of him and his brothers that she's like this in the first place. "Just stay here and be as quiet as possible." He cups her cheeks, stroking one with his thumb. "I'll come back for you and then we can get your medication."

"Are we gonna capture some Lou Jitsus too?" She mumbles with half-lidded eyes. Leo was warned about this: sometimes she can get a little loopy without medication, and most of the time, she'll usually say crazy stuff.

"Maybe," He chuckles lightly at this side of her. She would never say that in her right mind.

He didn't want to leave her there, but he had to. Luckily Splinter can't see them behind the counter as Leo kisses her forehead.

"Why do you have fingers for feet?" She murmurs once he's gone.

"Blind spot here...and over here...another blind spot!" Leo uses other people to get around. Gus gets a shake into his hand from the bartender, taking out the tennis ball in his mouth and putting it into his drink.

"What an epic Battle Nexus Brawl! They're gonna be tying up this one for sure for centuries to come!"

Leo reaches his hand towards the tags, Splinter sliding his chair to look. "What are you doing?!"

"And it's Kid Cthulhu for the win!"

The customers all cheer, stopping when Amy pops up next to Gus, pointing at him. "Squirrel!"

"I ain't no squirrel!" Gus growls at her.

"Don't mind her, she's very sick," Leo laughs nervously.

"Hey, wait a minute, you're those turtles and pink shrimp!"

Splinter spits out his drink and unfortunately, the fox employee heard the dog. The other two turn around.

"Blind spot," Leo flicks the drink onto Gus, grabbing Amy over his shoulders and running off. "See ya!" He slips on a table and slides. Splinter runs after them.

"Wheels on stairs, not my finest decision," Donnie deadpans as he and Mikey are crawling up the stairs in the cart. Leo and Amy suddenly burst out of the door, landing on them. This sends all of them down the stairs, landing near a door.

"Ames, you okay?" Leo asks in concern and she looks up at Donnie in a daze.

"I love you guys..."

"She's not fine!" Mikey calls out.

"Look out!" Leo screams, pointing to all four villains chasing them. The three turtles let out screams.

"Hey, let's all go make s'mores!" Amy cheers, Leo grabbing her again. They slide into the hall, where Raph enters, holding the painting over his head.

"It's like I'm invisible!"

He hears a scream and turns to see everyone bumping into him. Amy is yelling in excitement, thinking it was a ride as the others are screaming in fear. They disappear into a wall, ending up in a room with a lava lamp. Splinter slides up to the secret passage.

"Where did they go?!" He looks up at the vent above his head.

"Ninja hide someone quick!" Raph says in a panic.

"Can we do that again?" Amy asks happily.

"No," Leo tells her gently.

"You can't hide from me!" Gus appears behind them, the bellhops appearing through other doors.

"Big Mama wanna see you loves."

"So, for like a general hey you been sess or-"

"Tell her she looks fat," Amy suddenly says with a half-lidded smile. The bellhops all glare, Raph glancing around wide-eyed. She just had to be off her anti-allergy medication...

"S-She didn't mean that," Raph covers her mouth. "Guys, let's make Pops proud!"

"Lights off jutsu!" Mikey claps his hands.

"Oh come on, Mikey, like that's gonna-" Suddenly, all the lights turn off, the only thing lighting up the room being the lava lamp in the center. "...I will never doubt you again."

Splinter manages to get to the vent that looks into the room. "What?" He asks in confusion.

"Alright boys," Raph grins as a blue light passes his face. "Keep to the shadows."

Gus laughs at them, but then the five disappear, to the shock of everyone else. Their white eyes appear next to the seal, knocking him out. Then they surround the owl, defeating him as well. The fox looks around, trying to see them, but they appear behind him, dragging him away.

"Are they going for his dog tags? Get out of there, he will devour you all!" Splinter tries to warn them, but they don't need it. Gus sniffs around and growls, catching their scent and turning into demon mode.

"Those turtles and girl think they can sneak up on me, they got another thing coming!" Suddenly, all of the lights turn on.

"Wait a minute," Splinter murmurs as Gus sniffs around. The turtles are actually hiding behind the lava lamp, meaning that he can't smell them anymore. But just in case, Amy douses them in her new perfume. "Blending into your environment?! Light as a feather?!" Mikey and Leo slip past the dog. Raph appears behind him with a smirk. "Blind spots?"

He chuckles and Splinter looks away. "Oh, I cannot watch." His eye peeks out between his fingers anyway. "Slow motion jutsu?"

Raph's hand slowly reaches for the tags, Gus trying to sniff him. Splinter yelps in panic as he watches, with Raph slipping them off. Donnie catches it into his hand with a chuckle. Gus glances around in confusion.

"Lessons one through five...I taught my sons something, and they paid attention! I _do_ deserve my world's greatest dad coffee mug!"

* * *

The five cheer once they meet back with Splinter on the same rooftop outside of the hotel. "We got it!" Raph holds up the tag.

"Yeah!"

"One demon dog's dog tag!"

"Taggie," Amy grins, flicking at the ribbons.

"My children...your persistence and dedication knows no bounds. Yes, your methods need work. Much, much, much, much, much, much work...but, I am honored to be your teacher, and proud to be your father."

The four's eyes shine as they look like they're about to cry. "Aww!"

They tackle Splinter and Amy into a hug. "Yes, go and celebrate!"

Amy lets out another sneeze. "But first get Amelia her medication. We do not need her to be in severe condition..."

The four cheer as they get away using Donnie's shell. "Love you, dad!"

Once he sees that they're gone, he stares at the dog tag. Later that night, he sneaks back into the hotel, but this time, to a secret floor...Big Mama's room. He stands there in the mess of webs as the doors close. He sneaks up to a drawer, and the dog tags were actually a key. He opens the first drawer and opens it up...looking at a picture of himself and Big Mama.

Both of them looking at the picture lovingly...

* * *

For Mikey, going out and painting random alley walls was starting to get boring. There was nothing happening. No silverfish, no pizza places around, no magical things, not even any older brothers to talk to. Well, for the most part. Every once in a while, Raph would call in his gentle baby voice. Other than that, nothing. Completely and totally bored (not even ART could cure him), he needs a break...

So he decided to go to Amy's shop!

And to make sure that she was okay.

It took almost no time to get to the bakery. But when Mikey arrives, he sees that it's dark inside, but that couldn't be possible because Amy would be doing deliveries at this point in time. He then glances at the fire escape and ducks into the shadows. Amy was standing in front of her window inside her room, but she's not alone.

She's with Leo.

 _What? Why is Leo talking to Amy when she's supposed to be working? It's not their game night..._

Mikey creeps over to the rooftop above them and hears Amy talking.

"Whenever we tell the others about us, they probably won't believe us," Amy snorts in amusement.

"What should we say, then? That I'm your boyfriend?"

Mikey's jaw drops. Boyfriend?! Leo?!

"Well, I don't know if that's the right word..." Amy rubs her neck. "I like things the way they are now. Do we really need to put a label on that?"

"Our dates haven't convinced you?"

Mikey's jaw drops a little further. Date? MULTIPLE dates?! As in, they've been on at least more than one?

"Well...I..." She stammers, sighing. "I would need...time to think about what exactly we are...can't we just keep it casual?"

Leo just smiles at her, pulling out something from behind his back. "Either way, I wanted to thank you for at least liking me back. Here. For you."

"Aw, Leo..." Her eyes soften at the light blue chiffon dress. It's sleeveless, a golden belt around the waist. It comes with matching star earrings that hang from the chain, and light blue 2-inch heels with ruffles at the heel. "Thank you, it's beautiful."

"Of course! Anything to make my lady happy."

She hugs him and Leo hugs her back, leaving Mikey dumbfounded in the shadows, wondering exactly what exactly he just saw. Leo and Amy are... _dating_?! And possibly in a _relationship_?! What about the others? Do they know about this? Mikey didn't even know that it was possible.

He needs to know more, so he needs to listen in and see it. What he sees blows his mind.

Leo and Amy break apart, but his hands remain around her waist. He honestly loved the feeling of her touch and she felt the same. His mouth suddenly turns into a frown and she notices it.

"Something wrong?" She asks in concern, wondering what the problem was.

"N-Nothing," He darts his eyes away, but she doesn't buy it.

"You're not good at lying to me. Come on, out with it."

"Do you think we'll ever know where we stand?"

"What?" She asks in confusion.

"Are we gonna be stuck like this forever? Not knowing if we're actually a couple?" He seems to be talking to himself more than to her.

"Don't you still like me?" She raises a brow at him.

"Of course! I love spending time with you. It's just – well, I'm a mutant turtle. This isn't exactly normal. I can't meet your mother, normally that is, I can't go out in public unless it's empty or I wear a disguise, I can't be the normal first guy you should be going out with. It's bad enough that you used to hate my kind."

"Leo..." Amy tries to interrupt.

"And I was following you like a love sick puppy. No wonder why you got stuck with me. I don't deserve you." All the guilty thoughts were flooding into his head and he couldn't figure out how to stop it.

"Leo," Amy tries again, her eyes softening. She had no idea he felt this way about himself...

"I mean, you shouldn't be doing...whatever this is with me, because people threaten to hurt us every minute of our lives -"

Fed up with Leo not listening, the only thing she could do was grab his shoulders and pull him forward, hugging him. It shocks him enough to make him stay silent and stare at Amy as if she grew another head.

"Leo...I don't care. You're the funniest person I've ever known...and sincere, charming, and sensible too. I don't care if you're a mutant because I don't see one. I see...well, you. So shut up and accept that, because nothing will change my mind. Yes, I did used to hate mutants. I won't deny that. But I won't admit that I hate you, because I don't. I never could."

"But...But..."

Amy leans forward to make their lips meet. His eyes widen in shock before they flutter shut, allowing his lips to kiss back with tender care. Amy gently ends the contact a minute later.

Leo blinks lazily as he stares into her eyes. "What was I saying? I wanna take it back."

"You better," She giggles at him.

"Thank you, my lady." He kisses the top of her head. "And, uh, sorry for...that."

"It's okay. Everyone has doubts. You're no different from me," She hums in amusement. "But I made a choice to go out with you for a reason." She suddenly chuckles, running a hand down her face. "I probably sound cheesy saying that, but I couldn't let you talk about yourself that way anymore."

"I'll be fine," He smirks at her reaction. "I just might be turning you soft."

"...So?" She huffs after a few seconds, causing him to suppress a laugh.

"I've been meaning to ask…how are you feeling? Since…you know."

"Hm?" She hums slightly before remembering what happened. Amy covers her eyes with her hands. "Oh man, I am so embarrassed…"

"I personally thought it was cute, but I guess you could say that too."

"I'm not cute," Amy scrunches up her nose. "I'm supposed to be the responsible one and yet I acted like a total loon."

"Well, I happen to like loon Ames," He takes a hold of her hand. "And the rest of you."

She blushes slightly and clears her throat, glancing away. "To answer your question, I'm fine. I got a new prescription, but if you guys touch it, remember that I'm armed."

He sweats nervously. He's not usually on the other end of her threats unless it was something serious…but he also wouldn't put it past her to not use her gun on him. "So...what should we do about us?"

"Obviously since I kissed you, I still want you around," Amy smirks up at him.

He chuckles this time, "I do too."

"I'm sorry that I might be leading you on," Amy frowns to herself. "I just don't know what to do...this is the first time I've felt so different in forever..."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for, my lady. I'll wait as long as it takes. I better vamanos before my brothers start looking."

She tries not to grin. "I love it when you speak Spanish!"

"I do it for you," He winks at her, kissing her cheek, her nose, and then her lips. "See you tomorrow night."

"Count on it," She smiles at him as he climbs down the fire escape.

He can't help but grin as he arrives back in the lair, a spring in his step. Despite his doubts, Amy still chose him. Amy chose him, someone she used to push away his advances and the type of person she hated. Who wouldn't be happy? His thoughts go to his brothers before they go back to Amy in a split second. Nope, he wasn't going to think about his brothers and their reactions until the next time he's alone with Amy.

"So. You and Amy, huh?" A voice shoots out from the darkness. Leo freezes, then turns around to face his younger brother, who looks to be demanding for an answer.

Oh no.


	41. One Man's Junk

**Angel: So apparently, the wiki says that there's only 46 episodes now for season 1 instead of 52. Insane in the Mama Train and End Game have the episode numbers 25 and 26 respectively. I don't know if that means we'll get two half-hour specials or what, but that's the plan now I guess. *shakes head* Now I have to either have to scrap storyline/ideas or try to use 'em, stuff that I had for 6 episodes! Some of them might be squeezed into the next few chapters, I don't know yet, because they're really good ones too *pouts***

 **Just what is Nick doing to this show...**

 **And _yes_ , I will upload the first season 2 episodes whenever this season is finished! We've got two more episodes before the last two, anyway, so it's not like people have to wait that long. I know it aired before the other episodes, but I don't care. Just wait till this season is over.**

" _ **WHAAAAAAAAAAAT**_?!" Amy stands up as she hears the news. Leo is kneeling as he looks up at her.

"Mikey saw us on the fire escape. He decided to visit you, and...he saw us kissing," He murmurs quietly. Amy grunts, pacing around at the new situation. One of them knows. _Mikey_ knows about them. She wasn't even planning on having them find out right now, much less a blabbermouth like the youngest turtle! However, for the sake of keeping her sanity, she wasn't going to freak out on him. Leo already looks guilty enough.

"...What did you tell him?"

"I told him that we're just...experimenting."

"God Leo, why'd you say it like we're having sex?" She sits down, dragging a hand down her face. "Is he gonna tell?"

"No," Leo shakes his head. "He'll stay quiet as long as I taste test his food for a month and that you give him your double chocolate chip cookie recipe."

She sighs in relief, placing a hand to her heart. She's sort of relieved, but it still didn't change the fact that someone knew about their secret romantic escapades. Was it coming to an end? She's not ready to tell their friends yet, but now they had to be extra careful with Mikey in on it.

"...Is this...over now?" Leo seems to have the same fear.

"Do you want it to be?"

"No."

"...I don't either," Amy whispers to him. "But we need to make sure that we're absolutely alone before we do anything in the future. I never expected this to happen, but...when we first started this, I just felt...I felt..."

"Like a different person?" Leo asks with a smile. She chuckles at how much he knew her, nodding.

"Yeah. I've never known anyone like you...who gets me. I just...love having that," She smiles softly at him.

"And I love doing that for you," He hugs her. "Sorry I wasn't careful."

"Don't be...it'll take more than that to make me mad," She hugs him back. "I'm just glad it's just him and not all of them. But don't tell anyone else or you'll regret it."

"Yes ma'am," He kisses her forehead.

* * *

Donnie is pushing Mikey, who holds up posters. "Oh yeah!" He puts up posters with a turtle that's in an Uncle Sam outfit.

 _I need your Mystic Metal! Top Coin Paid!_

"Mystical metal needed!" Mikey cheers as they go all around, to Run of the Mill Pizza, to the yokai library, to even Big Mama's hotel to advertise mystical metal. Donnie and Mikey had came up with this plan to find a piece of the Dark Armor of the Shredder. So, why not appeal to the people by offering money?

A sign reads 'Mystical Metal Merchants' with the turtles' and Amy's faces over it. "I don't know about this plan," Raph says skeptically. The interior is basically the same as their 'paper store' when they were trying to catch Foot Brute and Foot Lieutenant. "If we wanna find the last pieces of the Dark Armor, shouldn't we be out there chasing down rumors and shaky leads?"

"As much as I don't wanna agree with him, he has a point," Amy gestures to Raph, unfortunately dressed like a store manager. She's wearing glasses over her face as her hair is in a bun, wearing a business woman outfit. Leo is staring up at her in awe.

"It's called crowdsourcing, Raph," Donnie adjusts his goggles. "Why bust our own humps..."

"When there are thousands of yokai in the city who can bust their humps for us?" Mikey finishes for him. "They slap their scraps to us, and we just chillax here and see if any of it is part of the Dark Armor!"

"Okay, I do like the laziness angle," Leo has his feet up over the desk, sitting next to Amy. "But I'm not taking sides...yet."

"Yeah, it's less work for us, but getting a real piece would take forever. We don't know what they'll give us, or someone could just be trying to cash in with a fake piece," Amy gestures towards outside. A light suddenly hits Leo's eyes, causing him to fall to the ground. The brunette snickers at him.

"Ooo, a seller!" Mikey exclaims eagerly towards outside. A person had opened the door, closing it behind him and holding a little brown box in his hands. "See what happens when you give our ideas a chance?" He asks smugly to Raph. "Raph."

"Whatever," Amy steps up to the desk. "Alright shorty, whataya got?"

He manages to bring himself over the desk and opens up the box, showing something glowing. Donnie appears next to Amy's right side, leaning over her shoulder to examine it. Whatever it was, it's definitely not the piece they're looking for.

"Excuse me," Donnie slams down the case, showing an Ace Airlines poster. "We are a reputable fly-by-night organization." He kicks the guy out. "How dare you bring this worthless garbage in?!"

"Ha ha, epic plan fail," Leo laughs as Raph gives a 'I told you so' look.

"We haven't failed yet!" Donnie points to the left and they look in his direction to see a mutant walking up to them, holding a box in his hands. "That glow on that piece is off the charts!"

"Told you, Raph!" Mikey shouts at him. "Dark Armor here we-"

Suddenly, a truck comes in and circles the mutant. He bumps into the store, revealing to be Repo Mantis.

"Hey! You owe me money!" He then hits the mutant, swiping the piece. "Now we're even!" He chuckles as he runs off.

"Noooooo!" Mikey screams as he leaves.

"Repo stinking Mantis!" Donnie kicks the sign outside the fake store.

"That jerk!" Amy clenches a fist.

"Now you see why I had my doubts?" Raph asks the two.

"Of course I do," Leo puts his arm around Amy casually. "Which is why we've been on Team Raph this whole time!"

"My turtle...and girl," He fist bumps them. "Members since day one!"

"I thought you said you weren't choosing sides," Amy smirks a little, crossing her arms.

"Whaaat? No," Leo waves it off.

"Chillax, we know where he lives," Mikey points to his head, wrapping his arm around Donnie. "Let's go get that piece back!"

"Great," Amy rolls her eyes. "We get to to his junkyard again."

* * *

They arrive at Repo Mantis Salvage in the Turtle Tank, where Raph is ready with an idea. "Now, here's the plan. We're gonna smash our way in, and keep smashing until we smash that armor piece right into our smashy little hands!"

"Whoa, ease up on the smashing," Amy warns him. She has since changed back into her regular outfit.

"Yeah huh. While you were planning your predictable smash capade, Michael and I were crafting a superior plan based on our extensive knowledge of the subject," Donnie snaps his fingers and Mikey appears in front of the unamused Raph, holding up a folder.

"Question: Who is Repo Mantis?" He shows pictures of Repo doing some very shady stuff. "Answer!" A light flashes in all three of their faces. "Repo Mantis is...motivated by greed!" He and Donnie are now dressed in millionaire suits, with top hats and everything.

"Dolla dolla bills, y'all!" Donnie catches a monocle in his hands.

"Don't ever say that again," Amy deadpans at him.

"Now you guys stay in the car, while Donnie and I pose as wealthy junk buyers and smooth talk Repo into giving up that armor piece, baby!" Mikey tells them.

"Sure. This can't go wrong," Leo says sarcastically to Raph and the brunette.

They find Repo doing something in the hood of a car. "I do say, good man, Max Wellson and I are wealthy junkman looking to sink loads of money into top shelf garbage," Donnie speaks in a British accent.

"Dear me, Arm Brewster," Mikey holds up a bunch of dollar bills. "I just found money in my pocket! Remind me to burn this when we get back to the Slag Lake in Martha's scrap yard."

Repo's eyes turn into dollar signs and Amy gasps upon seeing the money.

"Wait a minute! That's mine! MIKEY!" She shouts from Donnie's wrist computer, which he switches to mute.

"Oh, you guys sound fancy," Repo puts his arms around him. "Come on, I'll show you around..."

Amy paces around in anger as Leo whines at all the buzzing sounds. "How long is it gonna take for this plan to fail miserably?"

"Oh, they have good ideas when it counts," Amy speaks up. "But not when they stole my money! When they get back here, they'll wish that they didn't!"

Raph and Leo stare in boredom as Donnie is scanning for the piece, but doesn't find it. "Everything is for sale," Repo gestures to a junk pile. "Just don't go in that bus over there," He points to a bus stuck in a pile underneath the sun. "No matter how much you might think there's something great in there...do not go in that bus. Do you understand?"

"That's it! It's on the bus!" Raph exclaims, even though they haven't gotten a confirmation from Donnie's goggles.

"We don't know that," Amy replies to him.

"Where else would he hide it?" Leo gestures to the screen. "All there is here is junk, literally!"

"Pip pardon, good sir, but my colleague and I know our way around a junkyard or two!" Donnie pretends to be offended.

"Perhaps you could be a good assistant and bring us a nice refreshment?" Mikey asks him.

"For a couple of garbage gourmets like yourselves? My pleasure," He walks off to go find something.

"Great!" Mikey cheers once he's gone. "Now that he's gone, we can search this whole place! Everywhere except that bus of course."

"Guys!" Raph calls out and Donnie moves his sleeve away. "Guys, what are you doing? You're wasting your time. If you wanna find the armored piece, you gotta check out that bus."

"I'm sorry, are you a fake millionaire junk mogul?" Donnie retorts back.

"Yeah, let us handle it!" Mikey hisses at them and Amy pushes the two away out of exasperation.

"Okay, we've established that you're all idiots. Face it, the piece isn't here. Wherever it is, someone must've bought Repo out and that's probably why Donnie hasn't found it. He's a hustler with greed, after all. It'd make sense if he promised it to someone else."

"But we-"

"And you need to give my money back," Amy turns around and hisses at the youngest turtle.

"Fine...we'll give the money back," Mikey sags his shoulders. "But we're still gonna find the piece!"

"Wait-"

Donnie hangs up and she growls in frustration. "What's your problem?" Raph asks her. "It's obviously in the bus. This is why we should never do their plans! They're wasting time when they should be on that bus!"

"Yeah. When the bug man tells you not to go on a creepy bus, you get right on that bus!" Leo points up ahead, mister!"

"What kind of scary movies have you been watching?" Amy murmurs in confusion.

"Yeah! Creepy bus ahoy!" Leo and Raph high-five each other. "Watch when we prove you wrong, Mellie."

"Raph, you try to do that every single time, and it never works," Amy crosses her arms. "Okay, maybe that werewolf tree you were right, but not on this."

"Denial~" Raph sings teasingly and she swings a fist towards him. He ducks and laughs, leaving the Tank with Leo.

Amy takes a deep breath. "Just relax...you'll have all the time to punch him..." She follows after them, but only so they wouldn't do something stupid...

Or at least, mostly not stupid.

Leo swings onto the back of the bus, Raph peeking from in front of a fridge. The three look into the pretty much abandoned school bus.

"I don't see the armor piece in there," Leo replies as they examine the vehicle.

"Because it's NOT in there!" Amy elaborates to them. "A piece like that would stand out in a piece like this."

"I won't believe it till I see it!" Raph points at her dramatically. "He must be using the bus to block the way into this mountain," He points up to the trash mountain above.

"So what do we do?"

Raph just scoffs at the question. "A bus only weighs like 25 thousand pounds. I got this."

"Actually, no. Typical school buses are 36 to 39 feet long. So that bus is 16 tons," Amy points up at it. Raph jumps to the back anyway and spits on his hands. He rubs them together and grabs the rim, starting to lift it up.

"Lifting...like a boss!"

"Raph, Raph, Raph!" Leo and Amy cheer, but it's actually just them calling out his name as he's on the ground. "Raph, Raph. Hey Raph."

Leo pokes him while Amy holds up a finger. She digs into her bag, pulling out a water bottle. Then she opens it up and splashes his face with it.

"Huh? What happened?" His vision is clearing as he can see the two of them. Leo has some lipstick marks on his face.

"Oh, you passed out trying to single-handedly lift a school bus!" Leo explains to him.

"I told you: 16 tons. And your hands ain't gonna lift that," Amy shakes her head at the turtle.

"How far did I move it?" He asks in a quiet voice.

"Ah, I mean, you wiggled the bumper a little, but your neck vid was HUUUUUGE!"

"So then why do you have lipstick marks on you?"

The two glance at each other with wide eyes. "Uh..." Amy sweats a little. No way was she going to tell that she and Leo did a little...makeout while he was trying to lift the bus. He luckily didn't see, because he was too busy trying to prove a point.

"Just my lady trying to get a kiss from me when I got surrounded by girls," Leo grins smugly. Amy narrows her eyes and punches him in the arm, hard. "Oww...let me try something," He spins around his sword, creating a portal in front of the back. He reaches inside and finds the latch to open the back. He pulls it, but the door hits him on the face.

"Ha," Amy smirks, crossing her arms. Payback for his dumb excuse for the lipstick.

"Oh ho, it worked!" Leo cheers with a black eye and some missing teeth. Amy cringes at him. Now she feels bad for laughing.

"I don't see the armor piece," Mikey calls out as Donnie is holding a rubber duck and a pair of red die. "Should we investigate that bus?"

"NO!" Donnie exclaims at him, "Stick to our plan! Operation Not Raph's plan! We're the ones who know Repo, and he is totally predictable."

"Yo!" Repo's claw appears between them, freaking them out.

"I did not see that coming!" Donnie exclaims as they recoil back in fear.

"You fancies want some caviar?" He chuckles, but what he's holding is definitely not caviar. "I-I didn't have fish eggs, so I just used ladybugs."

* * *

"So what do we do now?" Leo asks as the three are inside the bus.

"Leave?" Amy replies back. Raph sees the key in the ignition. He turns it on.

"We'll show Mikey and Donnie what a real plan looks like!" He drives the vehicle forward until he stops in front of a cage dangling in the air.

"Huh...why would he have this?" Amy couldn't help but wonder. They're surrounded by rusty and old cars. She shudders at the sight of them. "This place already gives me the creeps..."

"Well somebody put the rust in rustic charm," Leo chuckles at his joke, a drum going off as a rim shot. Raph is laying on the ground.

"Who left the drum set here?"

Amy facepalms at this.

"That armor piece has to be in here somewhere. Keep your eyes peeled, guys," Raph warns them as they step carefully in the dark.

"We would if we could see more than two feet ahead-" He bumps his face into something. "Oww!"

Amy snickers a little, clearing her throat when Leo gives her a glare. "I-I mean, are you okay?"

"Yes, thanks for your concern!"

"Hey," She leans in towards him to whisper, "You're the one who was joking about being a ladies man!"

"Jealous?" He smirks up at her and her eyes widen at how she's acting.

"N-No."

"My leader instincts are tingling," Raph looks at the button Leo hit. "These must be the lights." He presses it, but this only opens the cage that was in front of the bus.

Amy lets out a tiny sneeze. "Oh no..." She murmurs slowly as red eyes stare at them.

"Quick question, have we been on enough of these missions to form an opinion about glowing red eyes?" Leo stares up at it.

"I've got an opinion..." A large shadow lands in front of them. "RUUUN!" Leo grabs Amy bridal style and runs for the bus.

"I'm starting to think Donnie and Mikey's plan was better!" Leo calls out as the being tries to eat them. "I hate this, I hate this!" The attacker lands in front of the bus. "Ah, it looked at me!"

They manage to get inside just in time, but the creature manages to stick its head inside the bus, revealing itself to be a cat with a long tongue and sharp teeth. Amy lets out a big sneeze and Leo turns around, hugging Amy close to protect her. The cat starts licking his shell, much to his disgust. Raph attempts to start up the bus.

"Come on, come on, come on, come on!"

Amy manages to wiggle out of Leo's grip, breaking the control panel and connecting two wires. Leo screams as the tongue pulls him towards the mouth.

"Come on!"

Amy finally gets the bus started and Raph reverses it, Leo hanging onto the brunette.

* * *

"I don't know how you slicksters talked me into it, but here are the keys to my entire junk enterprises," Repo holds up the keys around the claw.

"A pleasure, sir," Donnie grins at how their plan worked. "And here is a briefcase of our 100 percent real artisanal currency." Well, technically, it was Amy's. Repo chuckles in delight, taking the briefcase.

"Just let me grab a few things and I'll be out of your top hats forever."

"Good work, Arm Brewster," Mikey whispers to Donnie once he leaves. "Now we can take our sweet time and look for that piece of the-"

"Save yourselves!" Raph shouts as the cat has escaped.

"Raph! I told you to stay in the car!" Mikey yells at him, Donnie's mouth opened in shock. Repo comes back upon hearing the commotion.

"Who are these guys? Turtles? You running some kind of scam on me?!"

"Look out!" Leo warns as something hits Donnie and Repo. "Hairball!"

Repo slides to a stop, shouting in surprise. "And you let my cat out?! Are yous crazy?"

"Your cat?!" Amy looks up towards him.

"Tell it we're friends?" Raph asks nervously.

"Oh, it won't help. Mrs. Nubbins used to be so cuddly until she got mutated into a mantis. Now all she wants to do is eat my head!"

"Fun fact, praying manti often practice cannabilism," Donnie says to no one, gesturing to the cat-mantis chasing her owner.

"Not now, Donnie!" Amy turns around to him.

"Not fun for me!" Repo cries out, the others just watching.

"I think we're done here. You guys wanna bounce?" Leo asks them.

"But we haven't found the armor, and we can't leave him to get eaten," Mikey defends next to him.

"Well, great. We get to save the guy who once repoed a birthday cake," Leo rolls his eyes.

"I told you guys you didn't need to get me a birthday cake for missing my birthday," Amy shrugs at them. "Man, I don't want to, but Mikey has a point. Damn."

Mrs. Nubbins sees Repo as he's hiding, raising an arm towards him. Leo jumps in front of the man and creates a portal, the arm teleporting to punch her in the face.

"Power smash!" Raph's red body appears as Leo and Amy jump next to it. They head towards the large creature, who swallows them up. Donnie flies above it, with Mikey sitting on his shell.

"Uhh..."

She eats them as well, but not entirely as she's chomping on them. "Ow, ow! Man Raph! Why didn't you trust us to do our plan? Ow!" Mikey asks while shouting in pain. Raph manages to hold the mouth with his bare hands.

"Cause anytime a bad guy says don't go in there, you're supposed to go in there like a boss!" Raph shouts in retaliation.

"No bad guys ever say that, and this time, you should've listened!" Amy retorts to him and he sighs in defeat.

"You're right...both you and Mellie. Raph's had nothing but bad ideas today."

"We weren't saying you don't have good ideas," Mikey speaks up, "We're just saying that sometimes we do too."

Mrs. Nubbins roars, throwing them up into the sky. "But now is not one of those times!" Donnie screams as they fall towards her. "Uh, got anything, boss man?"

"Okay, okay, maybe we can trap it somehow if we all put our heads together!" Raph shouts over the wind. "What do we know about cats? Go!"

"Well, they're warm, they're fuzzy, and they're always trying to eat Dad!" Leo points out and they roughly land in a car.

"Wait a minute," Amy's eyes widen as she stands up, fists clenched in realization. "Splinter's a rat. Cats love mice!"

"That's it!" Mikey gestures to the car. "I bet we can make a manti-cat-sized mouse!"

"Sounds like a great plan," Raph gives a thumbs up. Together, they use satellite dishes, headlights from a car, and spray paint to make the car look like a mouse. Leo drives it and the Mrs. Nubbins manages to find the cowering Repo.

Donnie laughs as tennis balls are fired at its face.

"It's playtime, Mrs. Nubbins!" Mikey calls out as they drive past the two. Mrs. Nubbins chases after them, thinking that it's a real mouse as Donnie continues firing tennis balls. However, he can't get a good shot and they drive along the top of other buses.

"Get her in there!" Raph points to where they found the bus.

"I'm on it. Everybody bail on three! Three! Come on, my lady~" Leo grabs Amy and jumps out, followed by everyone else. They scream as the car goes into the hole, the cat-mantis taking the bait.

"Raph! The bus!" Mikey shouts nearby.

"I got this," He starts to push the bus. "Pushing...like...A BOSS!"

"Raph, Raph, Raph!" The others cheer, but once again, it's just Leo poking him.

"Raph. Hey Raph."

"Huh...? What happened?" He murmurs as his vision clears again.

"You passed out again. Are you getting enough iron? Anyway, while you were out, Amy drove the bus back. Big scary kitty is all locked up!" Leo explains to him.

"Oh right..." He sits up slowly. "Great plan, team."

"Okay, maybe sometimes they can have good ideas," Amy pats Donnie and Mikey on the back with a small smile. They smile up at her. "But don't quote me on that."

"Nice work putting my cat away," Repo appears in front of them. "She gets so cranky when she's hungry." He hears her roaring. "I'll feed you soon, my little snuggly wuggly!"

Amy cringes at hearing that. Hopefully she'll never have to hear him say that again.

"So, Repo," Raph approaches him, "Now that we solved a very important problem in your life..."

"How about hooking us up with that piece of mystic metal you snagged earlier today?" Mikey finishes for him.

"Wha, mystic metal?" He taps his chin, trying to remember. "Oh, that was a special order from a couple of shoe salesmen with flame heads. They picked it up just before youse guys got here."

"I FREAKING KNEW IT!" Amy shouts, causing the two turtles to cringe.

"That's not good...we gotta go!" They take their leave, Repo opening up the briefcase...to find a bunch of tuna instead.

"Hey...! This isn't money! This is a briefcase full of loose tuna!"

As soon as he says that, the entrance is broken open from the inside as Mrs. Nubbins appears, heading towards the tuna. "No! You're kidding! Oh, snuggly wuggly!" He shouts as he's being thrown into the air.

"Oh, you bitch!" Repo calls out after Amy as he watches her walk away with the others. "YOU BITCH!"

"So's your mom, now language!" She points up at him, smirking smugly. She couldn't believe he really thought she'd use her own money in that suitcase...

* * *

Leo enters the kitchen of Amy's place, clutching a rather large calendar in his arm as his other hand is holding a glass of fresh orange juice. He's not wearing his mask as his eyes look tired. It's obvious that he just woke up.

He bangs a wooden spoon on a pan a few times to get everyone's attention. The turtle stands on the kitchen counter, clearing his throat. "Brothers, today is the first day of the week of hell," He announces, holding up the calendar and pointing to today's date. It's marked with the words 'The Flood Begins' in red ink.

"Pizza, help us," Mikey says as he's seated on the ground, chin rested over his hand as he's holding a slice, taking a bite.

"No. No, Mikey. Pizza will do nothing for us this week," Leo brings the calendar down.

Donnie walks towards the counter, drinking a flavorless juice. "Well," He shrugs his shoulders. "I need to live longer for science, so see you on the other side."

Leo glares at him slightly and hops off. "Relax, Don. We won't be losing anyone anytime soon. We've survived weeks like these before."

"Yeah, but with April," Raph crosses his arms, giving a slightly fearful look. "But she's at school, so what are we supposed to do?" Normally, he would be taking the lead, but with a situation like this...Leo was arguably the only one who was skilled enough to help them through this, and that is saying a lot.

"Whatever it takes," Leo places his fist in his palm. "We have to do everything we can to make this week tolerable for my lady!" This time, he stands on a chair. "We must be vigilant, men. There will be hardships, and consequences...a lot of them. There is _no_ room for any mistakes. We already know that tomorrow is going to be the worst day, but we can do this!"

"That's just the way Mother Nature works," Donnie rolls his eyes. "Girls like Mia go this all the time!"

"Exactly, which is why we have to do anything to make it more bearable for her...a-and us. Don't forget what happened last time."

They all shudder at the thought and Donnie scoffs. "There's so much that can go wrong, I'm surprised we haven't sucked it out of her yet with my drainage system I created for this."

The other three turtles glare at him and he holds up his hands in defense. "It was just a thought! ...Maybe."

"So what do we do?" Mikey asks them.

"Well, it'll be more difficult since April's not here..." Raph grits his teeth.

"We've got this, bros," Leo gestures to himself. "Breakfast in bed would do it after a whole night of...you know," He shrugs sheepishly.

"Works for me."

"As long as she doesn't yell at me."

"Same here, she broke my plutonium last time."

The turtles get to work. The noise in the kitchen grows as they hurry on making pancakes how she likes it: chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream. They also squeeze oranges for juice, with Leo warning his brothers to be more quieter, in fear that Amy might wake up.

"If she wakes up earlier than she's meant to, we can say goodbye to our shells."

They nod and carry on with their work. Leo takes the time to make a quick cupcake, topping it with vanilla frosting that she loves so much and sprinkling it with marshmallows. The rest of them arrange her meal, which is scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, her pancakes, and orange juice. They arrange it on a tray and make sure that everything is in place. Mikey places a small stargazer lily on the side, wrapping the fork and knife in a napkin, _thoroughly._

Leo places the cupcake besides the juice. "Good work, men," He comments, wiping off the sweat from his forehead.

"Now we just gotta get it to her," Raph says, all of their expressions changing into fear.

"Yeah..." Mikey gulps nervously. "Let's...do it..."

Very carefully, they tiptoe their way towards her room. Donnie brings up a shaky fist and gently knocks on her door. They flinch upon hearing her groan.

"Who is it?" Her voice is laced with sleep, her sheets shifting. Leo's scared, but he finds that voice sexy.

He gulps, biting his lip. "I-It's us, Ames! We brought you breakfast."

She groans even louder. "Okay, come in."

They shake, unsure how to do this. "You go first," Mikey hands the tray to Leo, who shakes his head rapidly and hands it to Raph. It must've been really bad if the turtle she was secretly seeing is even scared to approach her on weeks like this.

"Oh no, I don't wanna be the first person she sees," Leo denies immediately. "It should be you, Mikey."

"You're her boyfriend!" Mikey whispers loud enough only for Leo to hear, furrowing his brows.

"Technically, no, and I'm also the same turtle who forgot to return the whisk she's wanted back since last week. I bet you five bucks that'll be the first thing she yells at me about. Besides, compared to Raph and Donnie, she likes you the most besides the obvious favorite!" Leo pushes him towards the door. "Just go and give it to her."

"I don't want to!"

"Well, I'm not doing it either!"

"I don't wanna go in there!"

"Just hand her the tray, little man. It's easy!"

"What'd you just call me, Raph?!"

"If it's so easy, then Donnie can do it!"

"No way, she's still mad at me for stealing all of her money!"

"You said she likes Mikey best."

"Does she? I don't think a person 'likes you' if you keep something that a baker needs!"

"GUYS, the longer we take, the more mad she'll get!"

"Just open the door! We'll go in all together. On three..."

Donnie takes a breath. "Okay..."

Leo nods at them. "One..."

"Two..."

"Three!"

The doorknob is gently twisted, the door being gently opened.

"Goood moorniiiing," The four turtles greet in unison, laughing nervously. They keep their distance from her bed. She lifts her head up from her pillow, her hair an absolute mess and her eyes tired.

"Hey, guys," She rolls over and sits herself up. "What's all this?" She gestures to the tray Mikey's holding.

Their eyes widen and Leo pushes Mikey forward. In return, he frowns at his brother. He pushes the tray into Donnie's hand, who scowls. Sighing in defeat, he clears his throat, walking forward. "Your breakfast, O Bloody One."

Raph's eyes widen and he slaps Donnie upside the head. "Ow! What?! At least I didn't sugarcoat it!"

His older brother just grunts at him, Leo the only one noticing Amy is laughing. "Wait, she's not mad, she's laughing. Guys, laugh with her."

They do very awkwardly, and thankfully Amy didn't notice.

"You guys are sweet," She yawns, Donnie placing her breakfast on her bed, giving a strained smile. "Thanks. It means a lot."

"Is there anything else you need, my lady?" Leo tilts his head.

"I guess someone is gonna have to take over for me today downstairs..."

"You got it!"

"And ice cream."

"Of course!"

"And some cheesecake from my second favorite bakery."

"On my way!"

"And maybe a milkshake while I'm at it."

"One milkshake coming right up!"

She bites her lower lip and holds back a laugh as she watches all four of them run around and scurry to do what she asked. They may be idiots at times, but they're funny. Without April, they had no idea how this would work. She takes a bite out of her pancakes and relishes in the deliciousness.

"Hurry up, guys!" She calls out, cheeks stuffed. "After this, I wanna go to the boardwalk!"

"Anything for you, my lady!" Leo shouts from the kitchen.

"Just PLEASE don't yell at me!" Mikey yells from downstairs.

…

…

…

Faking her period is the best.

* * *

Amy pulls out some golden donuts from the oven, sniffing them. She sighs in bliss at the sweet smell of a delicacy...

Yes, she eventually told the turtles that she was faking, and for compensation, she now owes them a bunch of pastries for the next week. She might've been playing them, but she didn't want them to suffer for _too_ long...she didn't mind baking a lot of things, anyway. That's what she does.

The girl places them down carefully and closes the oven door shut. The phone rings and she facepalms, glancing at the order from her tablet. She still had two hours to get the donuts done and delivered for a police officer's birthday, so this call better be quick.

"Hello?" She puts the phone to her ear, turning the pan around to the plate. She slaps the bottom and all the donuts come out with no problem.

"Alina Santiago?"

She raises a brow, slowly stopping. The only person who used her real name was... "Yes? But I go by Amelia Smith."

"This is the hospital...we have your mother here."

Amy comes to an abrupt stop in front of the hospital, not caring if she got fined for not going into the lot. Her mother needed her. Technically, not her her, but the daughter she used to know. She pulls out her phone, panting as she quickly calls Mikey.

"Mikey! I need a huge favor."

"Anything for my dudette~ Is it the Bensons again? Their kids always have the biggest parties!" Mikey swings back and forth from his seat.

"No...my mother is in the hospital and I can't finish the donuts for the police station. I need you to go inside and finish them. The order is on the tablet; they're already baked, just please do this for me," She tries not to cry as her mother could be in grave danger.

"Oh mi gosh," Mikey's eyes turn sad. "I'm so sorry, Amy...okay, I'll finish this for you! Or I'll die trying!"

"Um, no need to die for me-"

"No objections!" And with that, he hangs up. Amy stares at the phone for a few seconds before sliding to a stop in front of the desk.

Mikey rushes to the exit so that he could hurry.

"Where you going, Miguel?" Leo calls out, raising a brow as he steps out of his room.

"Amy's at the hospital and she needs me to finish an order, so-"

"Wait, what?!" Leo exclaims in horror, quickly getting on his feet. His heart beats fast as he grabs his phone and dials Amy, but she doesn't answer. "It's straight to voicemail. I need to go see her!" He rushes out the exit.

"But she's fine!" Mikey shouts after him, which Leo doesn't hear. Mikey shakes his head, hands on his hips. "When is he ever gonna learn?"

* * *

"What happened to her?" Amy asks softly as they stare at the unconscious woman. It pained Amy to see her mother like this.

"We found her on the floor after neighbors reported things being smashed. A Mr and Mrs. Foster?"

"I've...never heard of them. They must've just moved in," Amy shakes her head in confusion. Apparently no one bothered to tell them...

"Yes, well, when we did a tox screen-"

"My mother is not on drugs!" Amy shouts defensively, the doctor holding up his hands.

"I...apologize. Our results found that...well..." He hesitates, not sure if a teenager could understand the next part, or even know what it meant.

"Doctor...please. I'm the only one who can take care of her. I need to know what's wrong," Amy whispers softly, suspecting he knew something...something bad.

"She stopped taking her meds."

Amy says nothing, glancing at the woman. She hadn't asked the day nurse if her mother successfully took the meds...she didn't think her mother would actually refuse them. Since when did she have the mental mind set to do so?

"That's why...she lost control, then," Amy gulps in understanding. Her mother wasn't competent when she was like that. It was like she was a whole different person. But to stop taking medicine? She never did that, ever. Why would she stop taking her medicine?

"Yes...the lack of medication caused her to have a psychotic break, and then she passed out when we gave her sedatives. And since you are the sole caretaker...ultimately it was your responsibility. And the police have said that if she continues to act this way...they'll have to put her in a mental facility."

"She's not crazy," Amy seethes, her knuckles turning white. "She just can't think properly because of the capgras. Doesn't that matter?"

"In the eyes of the law, they look at what's best for the child," He gives her a knowing look. "So either send her away...or monitor her more. If you don't, you'll be sent to a foster home."

"I can't go to a foster home!" Amy protests, standing up. "How would I pay for her medical bills?! I'm already working a job, going to school!"

"Then I guess you'll have to stop working...it's not healthy in your age to run a business. Legally, you're her daughter, but you're not 18, Alina. You could hire another nurse..."

"What I do is none of your damn business! You can tell those cops to back off because I did just fine without 'em! And I go by Amelia!"

"And what about now?" He gives her a piercing gaze. "She had to be sedated because of your lack of care. You weren't there for her. You didn't even know she stopped taking her medicine. Some guardian you are."

"YOU BASTARD!" Amy yells at him, trying not to cry. "Get out, now!"

He huffs at her, taking his files and leaving the room. She covers her eyes as she sobs, knowing fully well he was right. This was her fault. If she wasn't working all the time and going to school, her mother wouldn't be here right now...but she's so busy…so tired…

Leo rushes into the hospital, sweat on his green forehead. He's wearing his wrestling outfit as he quickly slides to the desk. He's holding a stuffed pig, balloons, and one of Amy's favorite desserts, chocolate cake with chocolate bar pieces on top with whipped cream, cherries, and oreos as toppings.

"You have to help me. I'm looking for a friend," He says quickly, catching his breath.

"I could try," The receptionist shrugs. "What does she look like?"

"Same height as me, 15 years old. She has brown and blonde hair and she's Hispanic," Leo tries not to panic.

"The girl with her mother that has capgras delusion?" The receptionist raises a brow.

"Yes! That's her," Leo nods his head rapidly, silently wondering how she knew that. Maybe Amy's been here enough times for them to know?

"Room 306."

"Thanks," And without another word, Leo runs off, rushing up the stairs. He didn't have time to wait for the elevator. He rushes past all the doctors, peeking in when he reaches the room, out of breath.

"...Ames?" He whispers softly that no one hears him. He presses his shell against the wall. He can't even look, he's too afraid of what he might see... "I know that you can't hear me right now. I don't know what happened to you...I don't know if you're going to be okay..."

He looks towards the white tile. "But one thing I know for sure is...I love you."

"Mom...I'm so sorry..."

He perks up at her voice, turning around to see that Amy's not the patient, thank god. But her mother is.

"My lady!" He cries out in relief, revealing himself.

"Leo?" Amy asks in confusion, standing up in surprise. She only called Mikey to tell him to go to Smith's Sweets, she didn't call the others. So how did Leo know where she was? "What are you do-"

Before she could finish her sentence, he pulls her towards him and gently presses his lips against hers. Her heart is racing and for a minute, she forgot that they're in the same room as her mother. He wraps his arms around her waist and kisses her deeply.

Amy pulls away, rubbing her neck as she looks away. "W-What was that for?"

"I thought it was the only time I'd have to do that," He admits sheepishly. "You almost gave me a heart attack, you know? I thought I was gonna lose you..."

"Mikey needs to know how to explain things better," Amy drags a hand down her face. "Is that why you're holding gifts?"

"Agreed, and...I didn't know what to get on short notice," Leo mutters under his breath. They both giggle. "I'm glad you're okay." He stares at her longingly.

"Physically, yeah. Emotionally..." She takes a deep breath. "Well. I'm here because my mom stopped taking her meds."

"Ouch," He cringes at the news. "What did the doctor say?"

"He got up all in my family business saying that I'm too young to be left alone with her and that I should go to a foster home," She huffs angrily. That guy needed a good punch.

"How dare he?" Leo narrows his eyes. "That's your decision, isn't it?"

"Yes, but if it happens again, the police will have no choice but to have her be sent to a mental institution...I don't wanna see her in that kind of place, Leo, but I don't know what to do..." Tears stream down her face. "This is so hard..."

"Shh," He hugs her gently. "Let it out. There you go..."

"Thank you," She hiccups, wiping the snot away from her nose. "I think I'm gonna sleep here and call some nurses in the morning...I'm too winded to think about anything else I should do."

"I'll stay with you," He offers immediately.

"But Leo, what about your brothers?"

"My priority is making sure my lady isn't left alone. Raph and Donnie don't know, anyway." He tilts up her chin with his finger, giving her a stupid grin. She stifles a laugh before giggling at him. He only did it to make her smile, and it worked.

"Thank you, Leo...and you didn't have to drop everything to come here. I'm fine."

"You're not fine, Ames. It's okay to admit it. And whatever that idiot said, it's not important anymore," He strokes her hair and she smiles weakly. He hands her the gifts and she takes them into her hands, grateful that he brought her favorite dessert to take the edge off. Leo dropped everything and rushed right over for her...she didn't know how, but...

Leo just became the sweetest turtle she ever met, despite the fact they're still casual. Maybe...

Maybe they really could be a couple...


	42. Snow Day

The hospital is fairly quietly as doctors and nurses walk by. In the waiting room, Amy has dozed off, having stayed there all night. The A/C kicks in and the cold air on her face causes her to wake up with a yawn. She rubs her eyes, slowly realizing where she is and what she's doing there. She rubs a temple at the memory of the doctor's harsh and unnecessary words...

She didn't need a reminder that she really doesn't know what she's doing...

Years ago, she would've just shrugged it off and continue working, but now that her mother has stopped medication...was it to get her attention? To make her realize that she's working too much?

 _God, now I'm saying it. But if I don't work, I can't pay the bills and then we'll be on the streets...Mom can't hold a job, not with her mental state..._

Not only that, baking was her passion, and it has been for years. Just because others didn't approve doesn't mean she should start thinking like them...

A police officer walks towards her and she glances at him. Judging by the look on his stubble face, he was here for her...or more specifically, to bother her some more.

"Good morning, Amelia, I'm here about your mother."

Her heart leaps up in her throat. Oh no, was her mother going to get arrested?! She could not take another emotional hit right now.

"Mrs. Santiago is not a threat to others, so we'll look past it as a warning...but make sure you notify your neighbors first, Ms. Smith. And your doctor has been let go as of this morning."

"Oh...thanks, officer," She blinks in surprise. Usually the police didn't get involved in her life because it wasn't necessary, so they didn't really know how far she could get...thankfully her mother was not in trouble...she was already going through so much, she didn't need to go to jail too.

She reaches out to Leo when the officer leaves, planning to wake him up and tell him to go home, but there's no one next to her. Amy glances around at the slightly empty waiting room as an old woman is across from her, sleeping. He must've left early, then...she already missed his presence.

What was she thinking?! She was such an idiot! Of course he would leave, all people left as soon as they found out about her family troubles...he's already abandoned her once...

A slight knock from the door causes her to look up. Leo is standing there with two paper bags full of stuff, and four types of drinks. She tries not to look relieved, or grateful...but she couldn't help herself.

Leo chuckles at her attempting to hide her face, walking up to her. He takes his seat next to her. "Sorry I left you, dove. I went to get you breakfast."

She's touched, but he didn't need to go through with that...even if she is hungry. "Oh no, Leo, I'm not-"

"I heard your stomach growling," He interrupts, giving her a 'don't argue' look. "This whole thing is making you stressed, and you need food. So pick something or I'll portal us to IHOP!"

"Okay," She sighs reluctantly, taking one bag. She examines its contents: an omelet, sausages, and hash browns in one box, and a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich in the other. She takes the omelet meal and looks at the drinks. "What's in them?"

"Hot chocolate, orange juice, a vanilla bean latte with whipped cream and a shot of milk, and tea."

"Latte," She immediately grabs the cup and he shakes his head at her, amused as she takes a sip. "After last night, coffee is just the thing I needed..."

"Any updates?" He asks softly, placing a comforting hand on her back.

"The doctor got laid off and the police let her off with a warning...you wouldn't have had to do anything with that, did you?" She raises a brow at him.

"Noooo," He looks away innocently. "I would never...!"

She snorts, deciding to let it go as she takes another sip. "So..." He rubs his neck slowly, wanting to tread lightly. "What are you gonna do now?"

"...I wish I knew. I might have to work less hours to monitor her...and hire another nurse...there goes my savings," She sighs slowly, taking a bite out of the eggs.

"Well, whatever you have to do, I'll support you," He rests his chin on her neck and she snuggles into his shoulder.

"Thank you, papi," She murmurs in a daze, still tired. Leo grins widely at the nickname, wrapping an arm around her waist. He was never going to let her live this down.

"… I'm so tired, Leo…" She whispers, closing her eyes. He takes a deep breath, knowing that there was more meaning to that…

She wasn't just physically tired.

He looks outside the window and gasps as white snowflakes start to fall. "My lady, look, it's snowing!" He turns towards his shoulder, about to wake her up, but it turns into a smile as he sees that her eyes are closed, lightly snoring. He smiles and grabs a stray blanket, putting it over them and placing his cheek on top of her head. He'll tell her later, and that also means she probably could close her shop for the day.

Right now, they could just enjoy the warmth.

* * *

The snow falls in Central Park and everyone is enjoying the atmosphere...well, most of them. Amy just didn't feel like it today, knowing that her mother is still in the hospital...on days like this, she would just curl up at home sipping hot cocoa in her living room. Without her family...she couldn't bring herself to enjoy it.

Amy wears a pink parka with light grey fluff edges around the collar. Over her neck is an indigo scarf with little pink cupcake tassels on the edges. She's also wearing black earmuffs, black jeans, and also pink snow boots with grey fluff around the top edges. Grey gloves are over her hands. And for the first time in what felt like forever, her hair is down, tucked into her hoodie so that it didn't freeze onto her coat. The turtles are wearing jackets, pants, and scarves in their respective colors, all but Mikey and Raph wearing a hat because he has earmuffs and his older brother has his hoodie over his head. April is wearing a green hat, scarf, pink gloves, and black jacket over her clothes. Chewbacon and Mayhem are wearing matching sweaters, scarves, and gloves with their names stitched onto each one.

"Aww, that is cute," Leo points to the two of them. "They're matching!"

Chewbacon bites at his finger, but he pulls away just in time. Amy looks towards two kids building a snowman and smiles weakly. Every child here reminded her of her little sister...she loved the snow. She wouldn't stop begging Amy to build a sled or go ice skating or make snow angels.

" _Snow day, hooray_!" Raph starts singing as he pushes down a big snowball. " _So magical and new! There's so much we could do_!"

" _Snow day, no training, only fun_!" Leo sings next, pushing a snowball and it rolls on a slide. Amy blinks at him in surprise. In all the time she's knew him, she had never heard him sing...he has a nice voice. " _We've only just begun, I'm glad I'm here with you~_!" He turns towards Amy with a wink, causing her to blush. Did he mean her?

Mikey and Mayhem were making snow angels when the cat teleports out of the way from a flying snowball. Two large ones fall on Mikey.

" _Snow day, hooray! Barometric pressure is so low, but my heart is all aglow! Revving up my tech bo~!_ " Donnie sings, slicing Mikey free with a laugh.

" _Snow day, our snowman is the best! Jupiter Jim fans will attest! Omigosh, my coat's a vest~!_ " When Donnie had set him free, he accidentally cut the sleeves from his jacket.

" _Snow day, hooray_!" April sings while sitting on Raph's shoulders. " _We all should be so proud! Snow daaaay!_ "

All five look towards Amy, who recoils back. "I-I'm not really in the mood for singing, you guys."

"Aw, come on," Raph pouts at her. "Snow day~ Now you."

"I don't have the best voice," She crosses her arms.

"You sang with our band," Donnie points out.

"That was different, it was because of the situation."

"Sing, sing, sing!" They chant and she groans at this.

"Alright... _Snow day, look at this big crowd~!"_ She bellows out, to April's shock. Not because she was bad, but because she has a great voice. The turtles had heard her sing before, but not her. " _Everyone here should be wowed._ _All together sing out loud!_ "

" _Snow daaaaaay, hooraaaaaaay~!_ " They all sing together.

"Yeah!" April cheers, the others clapping as Amy rubs the back of her neck.

"I can't believe I just did that..."

"I can't believe either!" Leo gestures to her. "That was great!"

"Yeah, you're awesome," April gives her a thumbs up.

"We know your mom's in the hospital, but you should enjoy this day while it lasts!" Raph claps her back hard.

"Yeah...you're right. Thanks guys," She smiles weakly, hands on her hips as she looks up at the snowman.

"Great job, fam and my lady~ And Donnie, I guess," Leo looks away with a smirk.

"If I weren't so enchanted by the beauty of our replica Jupiter Jim, I'd probably say something like look over there. Push!"

Leo falls for it and gets pushed into the snow. He hears giggling and looks up to see that it's Amy laughing at him. He smirks up at her and throws a snowball right into her face. She stops giggling and gasps sharply with a smile.

"You did not just do that!"

She throws a snowball and it hits his chest. They start having a little snowball fight behind the others.

"And for the cherry on top, this flag from Jupiter Jim Sails at Seven Galaxies!" Raph points up to the flag.

"Best JJ movie of all time, baby!" Mikey cheers, though not everyone agrees.

"What the what?!" April throws the flag into Raph's face. "Hold up, Skip. Jupiter Jim's Pluto Vacation 4 is the best JJ movie of all time."

"Ranked by us, just now, soo, it's basically official, no arguing," Donnie agrees with her and Mayhem. Mikey and Raph start laughing, getting the attention of Leo and Amy laying on the snow trying to hit each other.

"Jupiter Jim's Pluto Vacation 4?" He asks in disbelief. "Where JJ spends the entire movie searching for ice before realizing the surface of Pluto _is_ ice?"

"Yeah, and every time we watch it, you three laugh your heads off," April retorts back.

"Because Raph always falls asleep and breaks something with his face," Mikey giggles while Leo is chuckling.

And it was true. One time Raph fell and broke the projector, to Splinter's horror.

"Yeah, my face takes damage like a boss!" Raph brags, "Leo, hit me!"

"Oh please let me!" Donnie holds up his tech bo.

"NO!" He gets tackled by Leo, Amy, and Mikey. He tries to reach his staff.

"If you touch any of your brothers with that, _no more_ pineapple muffins!" Amy threatens while pointing her finger at him. Across Central Park, Ghostbear is cleaning. He's wearing a coat onesie of sorts with a big white fluff collar.

"Nice and clean, nice and clean!" He throws rock salt. "My sidewalk is nice and clean! La la la," He hears something and turns around with a gasp, seeing the group that he hated so much. "Those tortugas and perra! In a family war? Ha ha. These buttons I must push..."

He tiptoes towards them, seeing Amy and Leo smiling at each other. She laughs as Donnie is trying to get to Raph, who just pushes him away, so his feet are dragging against the snow. Everytime he tries to get close enough to them, she always comes in and stops him...but maybe this time, this war could distract her.

"They ruined my pro wrestling career! I will make them ruin their precious day of snow!" He rolls off a tree, laughing while holding up a snow ball.

"I'm the oldest, my flag wins, the end," Raph declares to Amy's annoyance. "Mellie, you gotta choose sides."

"Like hell I will!" She exclaims, moving away from them. "Don't have a favorite. Sorry. And neither does Chewie."

He oinks in agreement. A snowball suddenly hits Raph from behind, knocking him to the ground.

"Hey! Who did that?" He gives April an accusing look. "Was it Mayhem?!"

He whimpers a bit from the look. "Raph, you were looking right at us," April deadpans to him.

"So then maybe it was Mellie!" He points to her next. "Girls stick together, after all! Or maybe Chewbacon!"

"Raph...he walks on four legs," Amy tells him blankly.

"What a convenient excuse, April," Leo smirks at the girl.

"Yeah! I can't believe you would weaponize snow just to prove your flag is better than ours!" Raph exclaims at her.

"Glad to hear you agree our flag is better."

"Our flag eats your flag's lunch money for breakfast," Mikey brags to Donnie.

"Oh yeah?!" April retorts back, the teams of three glaring at each other. Ghostbeat grins as he gets exactly what he wanted...well, mostly. He growls at Amy not participating, mostly because she really does have no opinion on which one is the best.

"My plan is working!"

"Heh heh," Raph grins at what's happening.

"Snowball fight!" The teams scream.

"Whoever gets Amy down by the end of the game, she has to choose which one is better!" April points at her.

"April! What the fuck!?" Amy exclaims at her in slight anger.

"Oh, you not getting out of this, girl!" April cries out. While they were out here, Amy might as well have some fun, real fun.

"What?" Ghostbear gives a look of confusion. "Real fight, not a snowball fight!"

"Yes!" Raph agrees to April's rule. "Player who gets Mellie gets to fly their team's flag!"

"Okay," April has a smug look on her face. "We're up for a friendly game. No save face, no weapons, no mercy!"

"Am I the only one who's bothered by this?" Amy drags a hand down her face.

"Aaaand," Mikey draws out. "No ice balls, no slush slappers, no horse hoppers, pepper poppers, Liberty launches, downtown hammers, dream hatcher scratches, no Freddie Prince Jrs," He clears his throat towards Leo. "No courts, no balls of any kind! We aren't savages."

Leo had written all of that down.

"Speak for yourself..." Donnie whispers devilishly while holding a snowball that looks like a skull. Amy smacks his head from behind.

"I heard that."

"Ready?" Raph announces as Mikey bends down towards the snow with a laugh. Leo adjusts Amy's hair so that they can see it and she blushes lightly.

"Relax, I'll go easy on ya," He winks and she moves away with a small nervous chuckle.

"You say that, but we both know the others won't..."

"Set...SNOW!"

Raph immediately gets snow in his face and all of them laugh as they throw snowballs, but not one of them gets Amy.

"I hate them so much," Ghostbear mutters under his breath. "One day...I will ruin something they love!" Then a snow plow drives by, showering him in the substance. He gets turned into a snowball, rolling away and crashing.

Mikey and April laugh as they sled down a hill, throwing snowballs at each other. April manages to knock him to the side. He laughs once the snow is off his face, screaming as he sees the slide up ahead. It's used as a ramp and he flies into the air.

Leo holds multiple snowballs. "Oh boy!" He gets Donnie and Mayhem, both their bodies planting into the snow. Leo suddenly gets hit in the cheek, looking up to see Amy grinning. He chases after her and she runs off. April ducks behind other snowmen, avoiding snowballs. One of them hits her face as Mikey soars over her. She shakes off the snow and gives two thumbs up. Mayhem throws a snowball at Leo's back, causing him to fall onto the snow, dropping his other ammo. Mayhem then gets hit by Chewbacon, who grins.

A stray one lands on Foot Lieutenant and he growls in annoyance, going back to his magazine.

Raph chuckles as he sneaks past a whole field of snowmen. Someone is hiding in one of them, and it turns out to be Donnie with his spider shell. He laughs as he flies over Raph, throwing snowballs at him, while also destroying the snowmen.

"Time out!" Raph declares from the ground. "Time out, TIME OUT!"

It's time for a hot cocoa break and later on that night, they're gathered in a circle. "You got me good back there, Donnie," Raph pours himself up a cup from a thermos. "But the game ain't over yet."

Leo hands Amy a cup with a smile. "Just how you like it: marshmallows, whipped cream, and peppermint sprinkled on top."

She holds it gently with her gloves, sipping slowly. "Yes, but when it is, my team's flag will grace our statue and wave like a queen to her subjects! And Mia WILL choose a movie when this fight is over!"

"Not again," She deadpans at this. The whole day, she hadn't been hit by any of them. Hopefully she could keep it that way. A scream is suddenly heard and Mikey lands in front of them.

"Mikey?!" Raph asks in surprise. Leo scoots in a bit closer to Amy, placing his hand on top of hers. She looks at the ground as he intertwines their hands. Luckily, the others couldn't see this with all the snow on the ground. They smile fondly at each other. He was glad he got to spend this snow day together, and she was just glad to be having fun despite her current situation...

"Snow day hooray, baby!" Mikey cheers, seeing the two. He panics a little and stands in front of them.

"Dude, that was incredible!" Leo exclaims to him. "What was your hang time, like two maybe three sequences?"

April holds out a cup of cocoa for him. "Yes, sweet sledding Angelo, and may I say this cocoa is exquisite? Do I detect a skosh of maple malt syrup?"

"If you paid attention to Jupiter Jim Sells the Seven Galaxies, you would know what the secret ingredient is," Mikey retorts back.

"Um, you and Leo always interrupt the movie by fighting over who gets to wear the Jupiter Jim costume," April points out.

" _I wanna wear the Captain's Helmet this time!_ " _Mikey protested as he and Leo were wrestling for it. Leo snatched it and licked it. "Eww!" He chased his older brother around the room. Amy sighed at this and stood up, the others staring up at her. She walked over and held out her leg, tripping both of them._

"Whoa, you've never seen the end?" Raph points to the other team. "That's why you and Donnie don't get why Seven Galaxies is so much better than the movie you like!"

"I cheer to that," Mikey and Leo blink cups together.

"Not everyone is gonna like the same movie as you, Raph," Amy retorts as she looks up at him.

"Trust me, our flag totally deserves to be up there," Raph tries to plant it, with Leo and Mikey holding him up.

"Uh, what now?" April slightly grits her teeth at him. "Mayhem!"

Mayhem teleports in front of Raph, scratching at his face. He teleports the turtle away, jumping so that Raph lands on Leo and Mikey. April catches him with a smug smile. Amy sighs, shaking her head.

"Oh, that is fun for me," Donnie comments, taking a sip of his cocoa. Raph lets out a scream of frustration, glaring at them.

"Break's over! Game on!"

April throws the first one, Amy ducking her head and throwing one at Donnie. The thermos tips over, the hot liquid melting a hole into the ice. It simmers down to a frozen Oozesquito, its eyes glowing purple as the hot cocoa sets it free. The bug flies away towards the giant snowball, stabbing Ghostbear in his...butt. He wakes up with a start, his eyes glowing green and his teeth getting sharper. The bug flies away as he slowly mutates, his hand popping out of the snowball, thunder striking. His roar stops the snowball fight.

"What?" April asks in confusion.

"Did anyone hear like a really sick bird or something?" Leo looks around for the source. The new mutant runs along the snow, jumping into the air over the moon. He lands in front of the 8, standing up to reveal himself as a large polar bear mutant Ghostbear.

"Peek-a-boo, losers!" He lets out a maniacal laugh.

"Ghostbear?!" Everyone but Raph and April exclaim, since she didn't know him. Raph fanboys at his appearance, stars in his eyes.

"Love the new look!" He slides in front of him. "Ooh, hey, can I get a quick selfie?!" He takes multiple seflies.

"Oh, every time with this guy!" Donnie exclaims at the sight.

"And he's a mutant now? Man, just when I thought we saw the last of him," Amy facepalms at the two.

"How about a scar to remember me by!" He's about to punch Raph, but no such punch came. That's because his fist had gone right through Raph because it's now invisible. He takes another selfie and Ghostbear recoils back in shock, seeing his hands. "What is this?" He turns his hands visible out of free will. "I can switch between bear and ghost?"

"Oh no," Amy's eyes widen at this. He then punches Raph in the face, knocking him into a tree.

"Omigosh."

"Wow."

"He hit Raph so hard, he almost went through our snowman!" April exclaims as they stare at him.

"But our snowman's okay, right?" Leo asks, Amy giving him a look.

"Alright, that's the last time you do that to my friend!" She clenches a fist, holding up a fist. An electric bolt appears on it.

"So it's the man of the snow that you love!" He ignores her threat as he was just given the answer he was looking for. "And I will destroy it!" He roars loudly, charging towards them.

"Mayhem, little help?" Leo calls out. He disappears, appears in the lair, and lands near their weapons. He then takes them with him.

"Hm?" Splinter turns around in his armchair while pouring himself some tea.

They've taken their snowman, running away from Ghostbear. He attacks multiple times, missing. "Leo, sacrifice yourself to buy us time!" Donnie calls out as they're a bit exhausted. The mutant polar bear just laughs as he approaches them.

Mayhem reappears with their weapons. "Yeah!" They cheer as their weapons fall into their hands.

"Okay fam, nobody messes with our snowman! Now let's beat this bozo bear like Jupiter Jim beat those space pirates!" Raph declares, grinning towards Ghostbear.

"How dare you use this dire moment to plug your obviously lesser movie?" Donnie demands, a shadow looming over them. Ghostbear jumps over them, causing everyone to scream. Amy backflips into the air, Ghostbear swiping at her. She dodges and jumps onto his head, flipping onto the ground behind him. He slams his fists on the snowman anyway, destroying it. Everyone gasps in shock.

"Noooooo!"

"Come on!" Donnie complains as Ghostbear grins, laughing.

"Bien."

"You're a monster!" Leo points his sword at him. "Not because you look that way."

"But because you ruined something that we collectively cherish! Humbug upon you, sir, humbug!" Donnie insults him.

"Yeah...we all love Jupiter Jim," Raph turns towards the others. "Which movie is better doesn't even matter! If I'm being real, I love how Donnie performs all the musical numbers when we watch PV4."

"And I do like how Raph gets stuck in a pirate accent after we watch Seven Galaxies," Donnie couldn't help but admit.

"I try to stop...but it be too hard," Raph closes his eyes.

"Villain over here!" Ghostbear calls out.

"It's watching the Jupiter Jim movies together as a family that makes 'em so special," April speaks up. "With our new sister," She smiles towards Amy and she blinks, returning the gesture.

"Bring it in," Raph pulls all of them into a hug.

"Aww."

"I'm tearing up over here," Mikey wipes his eyes as Donnie eventually smiles.

"Aww. How sweet," Ghostbear teases them, breaking the moment. "Hey Kitty Kat, how bout you ditch these losers and go bake your frilly girly pastries you call food?!"

He laughs at her and she wiggles out of Raph's grip, glaring at him and clenching a shaking fist. This guy was really getting on her nerves. Not only did he wreck her family's snowman, he had just insulted what she loves to do.

"You. Bastard," She grits her teeth, smirking towards the others. "Hey, guys? You know what would really make me feel better? If we kick his hairy white butt!"

"Yeah!"

He attacks first, knocking all of them into the snow. "That's it! Mad Dogs Ahoy!" They leap into the air, Raph phasing through Ghostbear as he's already mastered his new power. He grabs the turtle's hoodie and throws him away. He lands on Donnie. Leo and Amy jump into the air, slicing at him with their weapons, but they go through him. Leo pants in exhaustion, Amy wiping the sweat off her forehead. Ghostbear punches him away and he swings his claw at Amy, who kicks him in the chest.

Mikey flings his whip, but once again, it goes through him and ends up hitting Amy on the head.

"Ow!"

Ghostbear slams into Mikey, laughing as he stands up. However, he sees that Mikey is no longer in his pot, or anyone else for that matter.

"Tortugas? Perra," He calls out, "Come out to plaaay!"

"Should we call animal control?" Leo asks as he, Mikey, and Amy are in a tree.

"And tell 'em what? That a mutant polar bear is after us? Come on, they won't believe that."

"We could use the flags to blind him!" April suggests from underneath Mikey.

"Ghostbear only stays solid when he's attacking us!" Mikey informs them. "Except for when Amy somehow got him."

Suddenly, the tree comes crashing down. Raph looks to see Ghostbear cutting trees. "Uh oh." He cuts the one Raph is holding and it comes crashing onto the snow. Suddenly, Raph remembers when he knocked into the projector, in the same position that he is now. From the movie, Jupiter Jim was encased in ice...

"I got it!" He sits up with a smile. "You guys stay close enough so he's attacking and stays solid! We'll use our icy environment just like Jupiter Jim did!"

"Wow, full circle," Donnie comments from a few feet away.

"Yoo hoo!" April calls out. "Fuzzy wuzzy bear man! Mayhem, do your thing."

Mayhem teleports and appears above Ghostbear's head. He covers his eyes with the flag, Chewbacon running up to him and sitting on his head, hitting it like a drum.

"Cowabunga!" He wraps Ghostbear in the string of his whip. Raph punches a fire extinguisher and Leo makes a portal above the water. Ghostbear breaks free, but Amy shocks him with her hands, causing him to scream in pain. The water falls over him.

"Donnie?"

Donnie's bo turns into a launcher. "Let's see you face through my hexagonal crystalline solid, AKA ice!" He fires the ice blaster at Ghostbear.

"Tortugas and perra!" He cries out.

"Guys, it's working!" April cheers.

Ghostbear grabs the flag, the others cringing, but he's eventually frozen solid, holding the flag.

"Yeah!" They all cheer as more snow falls.

"Awesome job, famo!"

"Raph, for the cherry on top, why don't you put your flag up there?" April asks him, but he smiles instead of doing so.

"I've got a better idea." He removes his scarf, placing the other scarves on the stick as a rainbow flag sorts. "Since we all love Jupiter Jim equally, and we all worked together as equals to put Ghostbear on ice, our flag should represent all of us!"

"Huh...not a bad idea," Amy comments to him.

"Wait, wait, wait, how come Raph's is on top?" Leo calls out and the brunette facepalms at this.

"Friendly snowball fight! Everyone for themselves!" April declares, the others running off to go make snowballs. Amy smiles at her friends, feeling someone touch her shoulders. She looks up to see Leo smiling down at her.

"You okay?"

"I will be," She smiles back and they share a brief kiss. Amy turns around to Ghostbear, kicking him onto the ground.

"And my name's Amy!" She huffs at him, not caring if he heard or not.

* * *

Leo glances at Amy as they're sitting on the fire escape together. They weren't doing much, just looking out to the city. Looking out at the lights was a favorite past-time of theirs. Amy just liked looking out to the city she grew up in. It was a sense of calmness, something she doesn't get often. And Leo didn't care what they did, as long as they were together. Besides...after the last two days, he could tell she needed some peace.

"How's your mom?" Leo asks suddenly and she rolls her eyes at the interruption.

"Well, she's definitely not improving," She throws a stray candy wrapper down into the alley below. "And she still thinks I'm a stranger, so same as always. She'll be back home in a few days, they wanna make sure she's getting the right medication."

He hugs her from behind, kissing her shoulder. "I wish there was something I could do, but I'm not a doctor."

"I know. Your support is enough, actually."

"Oh, so I'm all you need?" He grins smugly, leaning in. She tried not to shiver at how close his breath was. If she answered that, they'd be liplocked, and she didn't really want to lose her breath...no matter how much she wanted to.

"I didn't say that," She huffs as her voice slightly wavers. Leo grins widely and lets go, jumping inside her window. Amy thinks nothing of it since he's always doing that, but when she hears music, she turns around towards her room. Leo steps out onto the fire escape, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Amy chuckles as they start swaying to the music. "Nice save."

"That's what I do~" He winks, tightening his hold on her. Amy takes a deep breath, letting herself go for this one dance.

"I wouldn't be here if you weren't here to protect me, so...thanks," She whispers softly. He smiles down at her. He'd do anything to protect her, even sacrifice himself. Sure, she would get mad at him, but it was worth it if she got to continue her life, to experience what she's been missing out on.

"Aw, my lady is grateful," He teases with a stupid grin. "A rare sight."

"Shut up," She pulls him towards her, kissing him. "Mmmph!" Leo is surprised that she's taking control, but he found it tempting. He smiles against her lips, wrapping an arm against her waist and holding her tightly against him. She licks his bottom lip and he denies her.

She pushes him to the wall, causing him to gasp. She takes the opening she asked for, exploring every inch and dominating him. A soft moan escapes him from the rush of excitement. He spins around and pushes her back against the wall, her whole frame trembling at the gnawing urge. She hums softly as he grips her hair into his left hand with need.

They pull away for air, Leo kissing a trail from her cheek to her neck. "Leo," She gasps out. "Not out here."

"Who's gonna see us?" He looks up at her, his eyes trailing to her lips which turn into a smirk.

"It's tempting, but-"

"We're not gonna do anything," Leo rolls his eyes playfully. "I wouldn't force you."

"You pervert," She pushes him away a bit. She sits onto the window sill with a huff. "I don't even think about it."

"Not even a little~?" He leans in with that dumb grin again that makes her weak at the knees.

"Nope, and if you keep looking at me like that, I won't be able to keep my hands off you."

"But you like keeping your hands on me," He winks at her.

"God dang it, Leo," She drags a hand down her face. "Let's just watch some Netflix and call it a night before we won't be able to stop."

"You mean Netflix and chill?" He grins playfully.

"LEO!"


	43. Cloak and Swaggart

**Angel: If I have to be honest, I have no idea when Ann and Lily will appear in season 2. I know people have asked time and time again, but please understand that I have had to make a lot of edits lately because of all the changes Nick made, and sometimes it's hard to keep up with the show for that reason. Moving it to Nicktoons, changing it to 46 episodes now…And since I've been dealing with all those changes recently, I haven't thought about Ann and Lily for a while. Heck, almost half of my storylines for the 6 episodes I thought we were having didn't make it into the final four episodes of this season! And I was really close to cutting the hospital one from the previous two episodes!**

 **Not to mention that I have to watch the episodes online first for me to determine what to do. I can't even come up with new ideas now because of that. This season I had those ideas written for a while now, but you see now why I'm conflicted with that idea that people are still asking about? It's kinda getting to me how much actual care Nick is putting into this, and I was skeptical when I got the information about this show back earlier this year. We haven't even heard anything about the film either…**

 ***sighs* …Hopefully I can put them in season 2 soon. It's just frustrating that I can't see the new episodes being aired now since I don't have Nicktoons. The show's not even on Hulu...so, to answer the subject, no idea when I'll use them in season 2. Maybe in Many Unhappy Returns, but we'll see.**

"Camping! Camping! Camping!" The turtles cheer, Mikey holding up sticks of marshmallows. "Camping! Camping! Camping! Camping!"

"Boys!" Splinter pokes his head out of the Turtle Tank. "We leave for intense survival training in exactly one minute!"

"Survival training?" Mikey drops the sticks in dismay. "I thought we were going camping!"

Splinter blinks at him for a few seconds. "...It's just like camping, only you learn which bugs are the yummiest, and how to drink your own sweat!"

The four groan at this.

"My lady!" Leo suddenly exclaims, sliding next to her. He slips onto the floor, causing Sunita to giggle. Amy just facepalms at him. He gets to a stop in front of the girls, panting.

"What are you doing outside of the Tank?" The brunette deadpans at him. "Girls only in the lair."

"I know, but I need to talk to you," He whispers urgently.

"You couldn't have done this over the phone?!" She whispers back in annoyance.

"Is everything okay?" April stares at them weirdly.

"Yes! We just need to...go over here," Amy grabs Leo's arm and runs off around the corner. "This better be important."

"It is! We need to Spiderman kiss."

She slowly raises a brow as nothing comes out of her mouth. This is seriously what he came over for? What he almost risked their relationship for?

"I'm sorry, but what the hell?"

"You know, the part in the movie where Mary Jane kisses Spiderman in the rain-"

"Oh, I understand what you're talking about," She interrupts him sharply. "What I don't understand is why you're asking to do that."

"Are you kidding? Every couple has their movie moment," He places an arm around her shoulder. "It cements how strong they are together, and I was thinking that you wouldn't go for the Bella Notte thing, so-"

"Leo, we're not a couple, remember?" She crosses her arms. "So I don't see what's the point."

"What's the po—doesn't matter! We need a cute moment!"

"I'm done talking about this," She mutters, walking away.

"So, we're on for later, then?" He approaches Sunita and April, who are leaning against one of the tires. "Thanks April and Sunita, for holding down the fort while we're gone for what I formally thought was gonna be a fun weekend!" He groans, looking around to make sure no one's watching.

"Psst!"

Amy looks up to see Leo hanging upside down from the window, puckering up his lips. "I'm not doing this with you," She deadpans, leaving him there.

"Don't forget to change Shelldon's cooling protocol daily, that means three times, and give him a little scritch behind the ears. Ears can be found here, here, here, and here," He points to several points on Shelldon's body.

"Don't worry, we got you covered," Sunita assures him.

A growl escapes Amy's lips in the kitchen because there he is again with that stupid face. "I said no!"

The whole thing to her was unnecessary. One, no matter how much she liked their casual fling, they were not a couple. And two, it was tacky in her eyes. Not everything was going to be cute to her, and someone forgot to tell him that to 'cement' the moment, it had to be raining, which it's not.

Not that she's thinking about it, because she wasn't...

The brunette baker facepalms at someone dangling above her head. "Someone please just kill me with my own gun."

"Can I at least get a goodbye kiss, then?" Leo gives her cute puppy eyes and she smiles lightly. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't say no to that face. Amy gives him a quick peck on the lips and he leaves the kitchen.

"Parting is such sweet sorrow, my lady~!"

She rolls her eyes, hiding a smile as she watches him leave.

"Boys! In the Tank!" Splinter orders and they reluctantly get inside. "Let's go, let's go, let's go!" The door closes behind them and the two girls high-five.

"Girls' NIIIIIIIIGHT!"

"Yo Amy! Whip up some of those cupcakes!" April calls out to the kitchen. "The one that's your grandma's secret recipe!"

"Cupcakes?!" Mikey gasps, hands on his cheeks. "And it's gonna be the double chocolate, double vanilla frosting, and double the flavor one?! Aww...! Can we at least make s'mores?" He hugs the bag of marshmallows. "To console our loss..."

"You...will make NOTHING!" Splinter shouts at him.

"Hey Donnie, what's this new button?" Raph calls out, his finger hovering over a red button.

"No, don't-!" Donnie warns, but his big brother pushes it anyway. The Tank's tires get strapped, and the door also gets locked from the outside.

"24 hour lockdown initiated," A voice says, the others glaring at Raph.

"Dude..." Leo murmurs as Mikey growls.

"And now we are trapped in here!"

"Hey, you know Raph loves giant buttons!" He defends himself, but that doesn't make things better.

"Sauce that hog! Sauce that hog!" People from a TV show chant. "Sauce that hog!"

"Seriously?" April asks in disbelief as she's biting a cupcake. "The Barbecue Channel?" Sunita holds her cheeks in awe. "This is not what I had in mind for girls' night."

"April, shh!" Sunita warns her. "They're about to sauce the pig!"

"Amy, can you believe this?" April gestures to their friend as the brunette sits next to the chair, holding an iced tea.

"I lived with the turtles for a few months, so yeah. Yeah I can," She takes a sip out of her drink.

"Sauce that hog! Sauce that hog!"

Sunita starts cheering along with the TV, April groaning. She gets a beep from her phone as Amy gets frosting on her lip, rolling her eyes. If Leo were here to see her lips like this, he'd definitely insist on that stupid kiss.

"Nice!"

"Sauce that hog!" Sunita pumps her fists, April bringing Amy and her phone over.

"DIGG's doing a secret concert downtown! We are going!"

"Hey, good for them," Amy comments as she looks at the invitation. "Nice to know that they're still doing gigs."

"You two don't wanna see this? It took these mountain men 6 months to craft that sauce," Sunita explains to the two.

"No offense, Sunita, but when I imagined my first girls' night, I didn't expect...well, this," Amy gestures to the TV. "Well, except me baking something. That I expected." Not that she minded, she loved baking for her friends.

"You need more than barbeque TV in your life, girl," April nudges her lightly. "Get your cloaking brooch and let's go!"

Sunita puts on her brooch and turns into her human form. "Let us rock and roll!"

"We can take my bike," Amy smirks, giving her friends extra helmets.

* * *

DIGG plays their Pizza Pit song, the girls crowd-surfing. "Hey guys," Amy salutes towards the band.

"Hey, it's Amy!" Prairie Dog recognizes her. "Rock on, girl!"

"Whoo!" Sunita shouts at the top of her lungs.

"You know the band?!" April asks the brunette, who nods.

"Tell ya later!" She hollers over all the loud noise.

"I'm floating on a sea of fingers!" Sunita spins around in excitement. Someone in the crowd manages to sneak past everyone and snatch Sunita's brooch. The two girls open their eyes as a green light appears and their eyes widen at their friend. The people who were holding her are disgusted, to say the least.

"Sunita! Cloaking brooch!" She swiftly takes off her jacket.

Amy bends down to an embarrassed Sunita, who's covering her head with April's jacket. "My cloaking brooch! That was a gift from my grand-goggly!"

"My question is, how did they know where to find us?" Amy couldn't help but wonder.

"We gotta hunt down the jerk who stole it," April rubs her chin.

"Too bad your turtle friends are off in the woods!"

* * *

They're actually calling for help in the Turtle Tank.

"Help!"

"April!"

"Sunita!"

"Amy!"

Even if the girls were in the lair, they wouldn't be able to hear because it's dead quiet from the outside. "Help!" Raph screams, holding his head in a panic.

"Why did I sound-proof the Tank?!" Donnie asks bitterly.

"I'll try the horn!" Raph punches the horn and it goes off loudly, but it still can't be heard in the lair itself.

"Why did I sound-proof the garage?!" Donnie questions in the same tone.

* * *

"We don't need 'em!" April waves it off. "I know New York better than anybody! Anyone can get your brooch back, it's me, April O'Neil!"

Amy clears her throat and April puts an arm around her. "Oh, and Alina Elisa Santiago!"

"Is that your real name?" Sunita asks curiously.

"It was before I changed it," Amy crosses her arms at April. "Now it's Amelia Elizabeth Smith."

"Well, you've lived 10 years with that name!"

"Let's just go," Amy sighs, pulling out her keys.

* * *

"Rumor has it any brooch stolen in the Tri-State Area eventually ends up going through here," April stops her bicycle in front of an alley, Amy stopping her motorcycle nearby. Sunita looks at it from inside the basket and gasps.

"Whoa! The Brooch district!"

"Even if we don't find the brooch, we'll find someone who's seen it," Amy gestures towards all the people.

The two ride through the alley together.

"Yo," April approaches a man with a beard and glasses. "Brooch man. I'm looking for a very special kind of brooch. One that someone may or may not just have tried to sell to you. On account of its specialness. Wink, wink," She winks twice and Amy chuckles as her friend clicks her teeth.

"Look kid, my clients expect a certain level of...discretion." Amy would play tough cop here, but there's a reason why she recommended to ask this guy. "You think I'm just gonna tell ya the brooch was bought by some big guy with a thick neck, an upturned nose, and a paper hat on his way to Channel 6 in a late model charcoal stretch limo? Oh no, no, no, no. You ain't getting nothin' from Ol' Loose Lips Malinowski! Smoo smoo."

April raises a sly brow, high-fiving Amy.

They ride out of the alley. "See? What'd I tell you? Beyonce and Shakira got your back, and we didn't need to bother the boys on their serious training mission."

"There's gotta be a better name for that," Amy shakes her head.

"We'll make it up as we go."

Raph furiously punches while Mikey looks around, sweating. Donnie tries to figure out a way to unlock the protocol from the inside as Leo is on the ground hugging himself. How is he gonna get through 24 hours without his lady? Splinter runs around like a wild rat as they're all losing it inside the Turtle Tank.

April and Amy stare at the security guard blocking the studio. "Do your thing, googly girl," April smirks at the mutant and she nods in understanding.

"PAAAARTY!" Sunita jumps into the air and explodes like Exploding Frankie, covering the window. The guard screams at the mess, two eyes staring at him. He faints at the sight, Amy planting a cupcake in front of his desk for compensation. Sunita slips inside and opens the door, the two girls smiling.

They sneak inside, a Mrs. Cuddles doll sitting on a box. Amy shudders at it before they move on. "Maybe it's not worth it. I mean, I want my brooch, but I can't risk being seen in my googly form!"

"Come on! With the...uh...Mad Gals! Yeah, would the Mad Gals get their good friend Sunita into a pickle?" April pats the mutant's head and she smiles. "Answer at 11."

"We got your back, you obviously need our help. I can't just look the other way," Amy says before lights turn on, surprising them. Luckily, Sunita is green enough to be a green screen. The two girls are staring at a production crew.

"...Who are you two?"

"Oh, I'm the, uh...new weather person! April...O'Nimbus?" April smiles widely, sweating a little.

"And I'm just here for support!" Amy grins nervously, immediately scooching away from the camera. The woman blinks at them before silently telling April that she's on.

Sunita changes to a weather screen. "We've got sunny skies inland, but uh oh! Looks like some rainclouds coming on the coast and a pair of...eyeballs!" She gestures to Sunita's eyes, "Hovering over New Jersey! Better wear your...rain goggles! Channel 6 weather, this is April O'...Nimbus! Signing off."

The woman stares at her intensely, Amy cringing and biting her lip. However, she wraps an arm around April. "I like your stuff, kid. Tell Mal Nino he's fired!"

Suddenly, a man wearing headphones with floppy red hair comes in. "We've got an emergency at the hit cooking show Kondescending Kitchen! Our abusive host Guy Flambe is missing, and some even meaner guy is trying to take his place!"

"What?" The woman demands to him, the others shocked.

"I said," He takes a deep breath, about to repeat.

"Okay, okay, let's go!"

Everyone runs off to tend to the emergency, the girls following. Amy couldn't help but feel that this was familiar, though. The show comes on the TVs and April notices that the 'meaner' guy is wearing Sunita's brooch.

"My brooch!"

The girls grin to each other before the director slams open the door. "Where's Flambe?"

"He's a bit tied up at the moment," The new guy smirks a little. Flambe is tied up with an apple in his mouth, protesting in the cabinet. The man whistles, using his foot to close him inside. "I meant that literally." He steps out into the shadows, revealing himself as Rupert Swaggart! He steps up to the edge while the trio hides behind the curtain. Amy gasps, clenching her fists in anger.

"This is bad!" April whispers to Amy.

"What?" Sunita asks in confusion.

"That's Meat Sweats! He's a crazy dangerous mutant and thanks to me, he's using your grand-goggly's brooch to disguise himself!" April explains to the mutant.

"He's also a major jerk!" Amy grits her teeth, turning to Sunita. "He wants to eat us and other mutants too!"

Rupert shines the brooch on his chest. "That's right, dears! Rupert Swaggart has returned as your beloved revived host of Kondescending Kitchen! Applause me!" He holds out his hands, ready for the glory, but everyone just stares at him, a few people coughing.

"But what about that freak accident that made you look...monstrously big-ish?" The director couldn't help but ask.

 _A pig tail appeared from Rupert's butt, the audience gasping. Then he grew a pig nose and turned into Meat Sweats, approaching the scared crowd._

"Hollywood magic. The details of my demise were greatly exaggerated," He replies, hoping that they'll buy it. "Look at me boat race!" He shows his smile. "All sorts of handsome as me."

The crowd cheers, to Amy's disbelief. "I can't believe they're falling for this!"

"Now that I'm back behind the counter, what time is it, friends?" He asks the audience. "It's time...to unleash the flavor!"

April looks to Sunita. "I don't know about this, girls," Sunita looks away doubtfully. "Maybe we should just leave?"

"Not a chance! I'm not leaving you exposed like this," April gestures to her body. "We promised I'd get your grand-goggly's brooch back, and we will!"

"Sunita, look at him," Amy gestures towards the set. 'Look how he's selfishly using your brooch for his fame, and they're giving it to him! That's not right, and we'll teach that bastard a lesson!" She punches her fists together.

"Remember what my dad said about language," Sunita warns her and the girl sighs slowly.

"No cursing while you're in proximity, yeah yeah."

"Contestants," Rupert claps his hands. "Bring your entrees to me! And I shall tell you exactly how much they offend my classically trained palette."

"Oh please," Amy rolls her eyes. "April, do your thing. He won't recognize you immediately unlike me."

April grabs some sauce bottles and a chef's uniform, taking disguise as a fellow contestant. "Chef," She walks up to him with a tray. "For you today, I've made a simple risotto with a touch of unleashed flavor~!" She lifts up the lid, showing the food.

"Ooh! Impressive-looking risotto, Amy," Sunita nudges the girl a bit.

"Why thank ya, thank ya very much," She replies in an Elvis accent. "I hope he chokes on it!" Her smug grin turns into a glare, clenching a fist.

He takes a scoop of it with a spoon. "Nobody likes a suck-up...except for me," Rupert chuckles, taking a bite. His face immediately turns red as he sweats, running around with fire coming out of his mouth. April just stands there with a smirk. "What is this wretched flavor?!"

"Oh, it's just an old family recipe called...too much hot sauce!" She holds out SIX hot sauces and he screams, slamming his fists out of pain.

"My pristine palate!" He takes a cup of water and downs it, but the brooch is suddenly missing. His nose and ears return, getting a gasp from the crowd.

"I got it!" Sunita beams as April holds up the brooch. "Let's go!"

Meat Sweats turns back to normal and they make a break for it. The audience screams at his appearance and he looks at his face through the glare of a pot. "My face! My gorgeous face!" Then he realizes that people can still see him. "Technical difficulties!" He puts the pot over his head. "Stay tuned!"

The director cringes and turns on the applause sign, the crowd cheering as he ducks out of there. He growls as he sees the three girls running away.

"Wait a minute!" He recognizes Amy's colors. "You're with those turtles!"

"The heck I am! Hope you like being a swine instead of having that stupid ugly face!" She calls out as they run into another part of the studio. He growls at the insult; when he catches them, he'll eat her first!

"This way!" April guides them through and Meat Sweats slams down his hammer, knocking all of them into the air. They stumble around until April pulls them behind a desk in the storage room. She peeks at the mutant. "I'm so sorry, Sunita. None of this would've ever happened if I hadn't dragged you out. I'm the worst."

"Say what?!" Amy whispers in alarm, eyes widening.

"Are you kidding me?! You're amazing. Sure, you convinced me to go to that concert, where I got robbed, and then you took us to that seedy part of town and then came here and unleashed a 7 foot mutant pig who wants to filet us, but this has been one of the most exciting nights of my life!"

"It has been pretty fun," Amy smiles with a light shrug. "And besides April, we're the Mad Gals," She places a hand on April's shoulder. "And we keep our promises to our friends."

"Aww, you called us the Mad Gals...group hug, girls!" The three share a hug before hearing a growl. "Uh oh."

Meat Sweats slams down his hammer at them again, sending them flying. They land behind the snack bar. They grin at each other.

"Bite-sized bash!" They start throwing the hors d'oeuvres at him, and he uses his arm to block the blows. Sunita then places some in her arm, blowing it out onto his face.

"This is way more fun than that barbecue show!" Sunita declares, Amy and April getting an idea.

"Barbecue show! Great idea! Amy, they're in the same studio, right?"

"Yep," Amy smirks in amusement.

"We just have to get past this pig!"

The googly-smuch goes back to Sunita as the two girls ride their friend on two trays. "Apriiiiil O'Neil!"

"Amyyyy Smith!"

They smack him in the face, running through the doors. The three slide onto the counter past another host, who gasps in horror as Meat Sweats runs past her. He knocks over what she was cooking. Then they run past a man painting, some of the googly-smuch landing on the painting. He nods in approval before it goes back to Sunita, the mutant pig pushing past him. Two hosts laughing see the four running past, yelping in surprise. They fall to the ground.

The two arrive in front of the double doors, Sunita cloaking herself with the brooch. Meat Sweats appears behind them, thinking he has them cornered.

"End of the line, lassies! Enough's enough."

"...Is it?" April sniffs the air with a smug look. "You smell that, girls?"

They sniff the air, smirking towards Meat Sweats. "We sure do."

"You like snatching my friend's brooch and being on TV? You're gonna _love_ this show," Amy replies and they run inside the room. He grabs Sunita and April into his hands, eyeing the brooch.

"The cloaking brooch, and I will not be stopped!"

Amy doesn't look worried for them at the slightest as she crosses her arms. "I beg to differ."

The lights turn on and the pig drops the girls as he sees the contestants giggling at him. "Mmm, look at this little piggy wiggy!"

"That's some prime swine! Get me my slicing blades!"

"Sauce that hog!" They hold up their tuning forks, knives, and spatulas.

"Wait, wait!" The mutant pig protests as they surround him. "At least soak me in brandy before you cook me! It's an old recipe! Oh, horse raddish."

The three close the doors, high-fiving each other as they link shoulders. "Best Girls' Night Ever!"

* * *

Finally, the lockdown turns off by itself. "24 hour lockdown complete." The doors open and the five fall out in relief.

"We're free!"

"Yay!"

"Yes!"

"Back already?" April asks from the doorway and Leo gasps as he sees Amy standing next to her. "How was your trip?"

"MY LADY!" Leo shouts happily, to the girl's surprise. He runs up to her and gives her a big hug. "I never wanna be apart from you ever again!"

"Ahh..." She looks around awkwardly as he's being overdramatic.

 _Was 24 hours really that bad for him?_

"Hey, what's this brand-new giant button do?" April speaks up, to the others' protest.

"No, no, no, no, no!" They all call out, but the garage door slams between Leo and Amy.

"24 hour garage lockdown activated."

"Really, Donnie? You messed up not labeling it, man. You messed up," Amy shakes her head slowly. The three girls high-five.

"Girls' Night 2!"

* * *

Amy is walking down a dark alley in the rain, which really doesn't faze her since she's lived in New York for her whole life. Nothing really surprises her, and besides, she can damn well defend herself if needed. Which was probably the reason why she has a reputation of not being mugged or assaulted for as long as her mother has been sick. In fact, muggers run _away_ from her rather than risk getting their butts kicked from a teenage girl.

Suddenly, three thugs surround her. Immediately Amy swings her leg around, kicking one in the face. However, these guys are bigger and stronger than she's ever dealt with.

"This is the girl that's been wailing on our pals?" One of them scoffs, wrestling her purse away from her.

"You're gonna regret that. Serves your friends right for trying to mug me," She snarls, spinning around in the air for a round-house kick. The second thug grabs her from behind, holding her down.

"Get off of me!" Amy screams at the top of her lungs, actually a little scared of what they might do. She'd use her powers, but that was just asking to be handed to the police or any mutants on a silver platter. Word does get around, and she would know.

"Aw, look. She acts all tough, but she's really just a scared little girl..."

One of them rubs against her thigh with his hand and her eyes widen, panicking on the inside. A green hand grabs the one on top of her, throwing him into a dumpster.

She looks up and sees Leo punching the daylight out of the biggest one. She gets up, grabs her bag, and runs. Coming to a stop nearby, she pants, realizing that she's left behind Leo. Amy couldn't let him possibly get hurt, she had to go back for him.

Amy pants, her heart pounding with worry as she runs back into the alley...seeing all three thugs beat up on the ground, tied up.

But she doesn't see Leo.

"Leo!" She cries out, trying to breath at a normal pace as she didn't want to imagine what could happen to him. The rain was getting strong, though, so he must've not heard her. "LEO!"

"You have a knack for getting into trouble, my lady."

She yelps, turning around and coming face-to-face with Leo, who's hanging upside down from the fire escape. "Most of the time, it's because of you," She teases back, chuckling a little.

"Who, me? Nah," He waves it off.

"I think you're a magnet for trouble like April," She grins in relief that he's not injured.

"It's a cross I bear," Leo pouts a little.

"I thought you were stuck in the garage?"

"I got out with my…good looks," He rubs his chin, puckering up his lips in a pose.

"Always the jokester," She giggles at his face.

"My brothers don't think so..."

"But you are if you manage to make me of all people laugh," She smiles at the turtle.

"Nice to have a fan," He winks towards her.

"Hm," She hums slightly. "Tell you what. Since you saved my life, I'll meet ya halfway." She steps forward and places her hands on his cheeks. Leaning forward, she places a kiss on his lips. It's a gentle kiss, something they haven't done in a while, but it's enough to satisfy Leo. Amy releases him a few minutes later.

Leo gasps at her in shock, eyes shining happily. He's so pleased that he doesn't notice his feet slipping, falling head-first onto the pavement. Amy's mouth opens as she bends down to him.

"Papi, are you okay?"

"I got my Spiderman kiss," He gives a dopey smile. "I'm more than okay!"

She giggles a bit and he cups her cheeks, pulling her forward so that their lips can connect again.

* * *

Amy hums as she pulls out a perfectly golden round vanilla chocolate swirl cake. She places it down and is about to frost it with cookies and cream frosting (one of her favorites) when she hears the bell ring. She looks up and groans out loud. The reason?

Brit is here.

"Go to hell," She simply says, causing him to place a hand on his chest in shock.

"Rude! How do you have friends with that mouth of yours?"

"Because unlike you, I'm not some little kid who doesn't know when to leave people alone," She retorts back, preparing some frosting.

"Hmph," He scrunches up his nose, crossing his arms.

"What do you want, brat? Aren't you supposed to be in jail?"

"It's Brit," He corrects, holding up a finger. "And my daddy bailed me out. Believe it or not, I'm not here for your business."

"Sorry, but I have the right to refuse service to anyone," She turns around to get the frosting bag. Maybe if she ignored him, he'll take the hint and leave. Besides, what other reason could he be here for other than making trouble for her? Or, at least, trying to.

When she turns back, he's still standing there, but this time, he's holding a suspicious envelope. By the look on his serious face, he wasn't leaving any time soon. And that was bad for business, something Brit knew fully well.

And bad business meant no money for the bank. Which she needed to support herself and her mother.

"Fine! You got one minute and if it's not important, I'll kick you to the curb myself," She throws down the bag and walks over to him from behind the counter.

"It is important," He gives her a glare.

"50 seconds. Don't make me get my rifle."

"Okay, okay!" He holds up his hands in defense, opening the envelope. "This is something that we're both involved in...and that we can't ignore."

"Geez, you act like it's the end of the world as we know it," She rolls her eyes, sighing as he pulls out the pictures. Her eyes widen in horror for the events that weren't expected to happen. "...What kind of sick joke is this?!"

"It's not a joke," He sighs slowly. "It's real, I'm afraid."

"How do I know this isn't photoshopped?" She asks skeptically. It's Brit Worley, her enemy. He'd do anything to try and make her sell.

"No trick," He shakes his head honestly. "I had it checked out. It's the real thing," He hands her a piece of paper that confirms it.

"Oh my god...this can't be happening..." She whispers in distraught.

Amy rushes into Leo's room, shaking him. "Leon! Leon, please, wake up! I need to talk to you."

"Mm..." He murmurs sleepily, turning to her. "Can't this wait until morning?"

"Please..." She tries not to cry. "I need your help..."

He sits up in alarm, wondering if he said or did anything to cause that reaction. She looks so lost and sad... "Okay, okay. Tell me what's wrong."

Amy takes a deep breath, not sure if she's prepared for what's about to come. "My mom...is seeing someone."

"And that's bad why...?" He asks slowly. "Wouldn't that make things better if she's not focused on...well, thinking that you and your family are dead?"

"Because...she's dating Brit's father!"


	44. Jupiter Jim Ahoy!

Lou Jitsu is running across the street in one of his movies, coming to a stop. "Ha ha ha, Lou Jitsu!" He's facing against someone with an animal mask. "You are finished, for we are 50 and you are just one!" People with the same masks surround the hero.

"Ah, that's what you think, for Master Greenburg, before he was eaten by a horse, taught me the 50-Man Punch!"

They recoil back in horror and he's about to do it...when the movie is paused. "Oh, oh, a fun trivia fact about this scene!" Splinter stands in front of the projector. The turtles all blink at him as they were eagerly watching the movie.

"NO!"

"What are you doing?! Play the Punch!" Mikey exclaims at him.

"Punch, punch, punch!" The other three shout from behind. Amy rolls her eyes at them a few feet away, frosting a cake that she had to finish by the end of tomorrow.

"I thought you'd enjoy inside tidbit info from your movie hero, me," Splinter smiles, rubbing his chin proudly.

There's another blink from the four. "Punch, Punch, Punch!"

"Whoever said never meet your idols never met me. Am I right, children? I can still remember every stuntman's name. Riker, Chad, Wilder, the Brian Twins, Chris with a K, Josh..."

"Is it just me, or was Lou Jitsu a lot cooler before he was our dad?' Leo whispers to Raph, but Splinter had still managed to hear it, throwing the remote at his face. Amy snickers to herself. This is exactly why she's keeping her mouth shut.

Donnie gasps sharply at his tablet all of a sudden. "Good Galileo, the original Jupiter Jim is gonna be at Galaxy Con!"

"Marcus Moncrief?" Leo asks eagerly. "He's my all-time favorite actor slash role model slash father figure!"

Splinter crosses his arms, feeling a little insulted. "I am standing right here! And really? Marcus Moncrief? That guy couldn't hold my lobster bib!"

"Hey, we should get him to sign our special edition Jupiter Jim one thousand!" Raph exclaims, to their happiness.

"To the comic book safe! ...Oh wait. We don't have money for tickets."

"Aww," All the turtles sag sadly.

"Oh, not a problem."

They whip towards Amy, who stands up and holds up her phone. "Just bought the last five and had them sent to my phone."

"Really?!" Mikey beams at her. "But why would you do that for us?"

"Yeah, don't we annoy the shell out of you?" Raph wonders, Donnie sliding up to her.

"And you call them idiots, but not me, since I'm your favorite."

Amy slaps his hand away as Leo narrows his eyes jealously. "First of all, sometimes, and second, I don't have a favorite. I'm doing it because I know how much you guys love him, and...well, after all you guys have done for me, I figured I owed you."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Leo gives her a bear hug. The others join in and she struggles a bit to breathe.

"Guys...the safe...?" She chokes out and they release her, running off.

"Hmm," Splinter pouts as he watches them leave. "Chris with a K would never treat me like that."

* * *

The five stand in front of the giant safe and Donnie scans his hand, his eyes, and even puts in a password.

"Begin voice match ID."

"We don't have time for this!" Mikey shouts before Donnie could even speak.

"Voice not recognized." The system deems the turtle an intruder, encasing him into a glass container.

"Bootyshaker9000," Donnie speaks the code, chuckling.

"Access granted." The safe opens up, everyone except Amy gasping as Donnie is smirking. At the end of the hall is the mint-condition comic book that they want their hero to sign.

"It's beautiful," Mikey's voice is slightly muffled from the glass.

"How much space is there in here?" Amy murmurs, looking around. She then turns her weapon into a hammer to help the turtle get free.

* * *

"Galaxy Con..." Mikey lowers down his glasses once they enter the building where the con is being held. "The one place we fit right in." They're wearing the same outfits from when they battled those dancing mutant cockroaches, but Leo has a pair of the same glasses as Mikey, and Raph is wearing a Jupiter Jim costume. Amy's blonde highlights are now a light green (temporarily dyed green just for today).

"Now, if the mass is bigger than I am, save the comic, leave me behind. But build statutes for my sacrifice."

He bumps into Leo, who holds his face. "Guys, guys, guys, guys, guys, guys, guys, guys, guys!"

Up ahead is the Meet and Greet of Jupiter Jim, but it's so empty that a tumbleweed flies past. "It's him..." Stars appear in Leo's eyes. Marcus tapes his fingers impatiently. His hair has started to grey at the temples, but it was him, alright.

"Mr. Moncrief?"

He darts his eyes to the group, eyes widening as he sees their appearance. "Oh ho ho. Looks like I'm being invaded! Last warning, turtle alien scum and queen of their kind, Lavinia!" He stands on the table dramatically. "Get off this planet!"

"He's doing the movie!" Leo cheers as the others fanboy. Amy just raises a brow at him. "Prepare to be blasted, human!"

"Jupiter Jim's prime directive is to maintain interplanetary peace! And if you pose a threat to that, I say...Jupiter Jim Ahoy!" He points his finger at them, the girl blinking slowly. Huh...that sounded real...a little too real in her opinion.

They start pretend fighting as if they're in the movie, Amy looking away in embarrassment. If she knew that it would end up like this, she would've stayed home...A fan sees them and turns right back around. The turtles fall to the ground.

"Jupiter Jim fake blasted me! I can die now..." Mikey says happily, pulling out his phone and taking a selfie.

"Excuse me," Leo hugs Amy happily, very grateful for this opportunity. He brings her and himself closer to the actor. "Um, Mr. Janpiter Jum-" He laughs at the slip-up. Because he's standing in front of him, he's very nervous. "I mean, Janpiter Jum, ah I mean, fans—we—is-"

Amy giggles at him. _Oh cripes, this is so adorable._

Raph stops Leo with a polite smile. "What my brother's trying to say is we're your biggest fans, Mr. Moncrief."

"We are SO happy to meet you!" Donnie gasps as the turtles smile. "And so happy that our friend brought us here!"

"But not happy to eat you, as they said in Jupiter Jim in Shark People of Planet Shark!" Leo adds in.

"Impressive," Marcus rubs his chin as he stares at them. He didn't expect them to know so much... "Say...how'd you reptilians and your highness like to see the harpoon ray I dispatched those shark people with, hm? I have it at my headquarters."

Leo gasps sharply at the offer, placing his hands on Amy's shoulders and shaking her. "He called you your highness!"

"I heard," She chuckles a bit, pushing him off gently.

"Uh, like, come to your house?" Raph asks skeptically.

"Raph," Leo puts his arm around his brother. "When the single greatest actor in the history of low-budget sci-fi invents you to his headquarters, you say yes!"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I have to agree with Raph," Amy gestures to the larger turtle. "Even if it is Galaxy Con, no one ever just invites you to come over, they stay until the end of the event."

"Yes," Leo answers regardless, Raph's eyes growing smaller.

"Okay then. Shall we? Jupiter Jim..."

"Ahoy!" They all exclaim at the same time.

* * *

They arrive at his apartment building via taxi cab. "Can somebody cover me? I'm all out of Earth dollars."

The turtles all turn their heads to Amy, who sighs wearily and gets out her wallet. She should've expected this...

Everyone except Amy and Raph are smiling as they stand in front of the door, the 9 slightly lower than the other two numbers. "Welcome to my humble abode." He opens up the door, revealing the place to be exactly like the inside of his spaceship from the franchise.

"The SS Starbolt!" They all exclaim in unison. Mikey inspects a helmet, putting it on in awe.

Raph gasps sharply, laughing giddily as he looks around. Donnie starts touching things with his spider shell. "This place is so mint, I wish I could wrap it up and take it all with me!"

"Ohh, it's beautiful," Leo looks at a screen that shows a planet and the moon. He glances at Amy as she looks up. "Though nothing still compares to my lady."

"Stop," She smiles lightly, pushing him away. "They'll hear you."

"The only thing Splinter ever showed us was Lou Jitsu's old chest wigs..."

"Yeah, those were lame," Mikey pops up between them. "And itchy."

"Ugh," Amy shudders at the disgusting memories.

"WHOA, the captain's chair!" Donnie points to their right. They look to see Jupiter Jim turning around in it, already dressed in his uniform.

"Welcome abroad the Starbolt."

"Wait a minute, did he just change into a Jupiter Jim costume?" Raph raises a brow while his brothers are fanboying at the sight.

"He's giving us the ultimate fan experience. And this ultimate fan is loving every second of it!" Leo's eyes shine with red stars in them.

"If that was true, then every single fan would be here, and the place is empty," Amy gestures to the interior. While it is cool and all, it's strange that he has this all set up to be exactly like it is in the movies. And Raph has the same thought as her, which is a first.

"You rock, Mr. Moncrief," Mikey gives the man a thumbs up.

"Call me Jupiter Jim. Now! How about that harpoon ray?" He presses a button, a wall of weapons appearing in front of Donnie.

"Solar saber, finger cuffs, delta ray torture sticks?! Lady and gentlemen, if you need me, I'll be living inside this cabin." He jumps forward to go inside, but Raph grabs his shell, pulling him backwards. Donnie grunts as he moves his legs around. Marcus takes the harpoon gun from the display.

"Here she is! Who wants a go?"

"Me, me, me! Me, me, me, me!" Leo immediately takes it and fires, but an actual laser emits from the gun. Mikey ducks his head as it narrowly misses him, fire appearing form the top of the helmet. Amy covers her mouth in shock.

"Whoa!" Raph shouts, the others equally as shocked. "Mr. Jim, wasn't that laser a little, uh, real?"

"Too real if you ask me! I thought movie weapons are supposed to be fake to prevent any on-set injuries!" Amy screeches as she stares at Mikey.

"I was almost incinerated! ...Cool..." He takes another selfie.

"Sorry," Leo tells him, turning to Jupiter Jim. "I'm not worthy to handle your surprisingly real space laser."

"I'll say," Jupiter Jim chuckles, taking the harpoon gun from Leo. "I should never have given such a weapon to the scourge of the galaxy!" He takes a deep breath, looking away. "Keep it together, Jim. Another misstep like that and you're toast!"

Raph and Amy stare at him, glancing at each other. They could tell that for once, they were on the same page when they strongly think...

That he's absolutely crazy.

"Well, uh, thanks for the tour, but we should probably be going," He places a hand on Leo's shoulder.

"Yeah, we need to be...anywhere else," Amy points to the exit.

"No!" Leo smacks Raph's hand off. "I'm not going back to what's-his-rat. I wanna see his, um, his-"

"Hall of Victory!" Mikey points to a door that's labeled as such.

"Yeah...can't leave without seeing this, fellas and your majesty," Jupiter Jim grins as Mikey slides to the door, chuckling as the doors open. He jumps inside eagerly.

"That! Yes! Splinter's only got a hall of dirty robes..." Leo takes Amy's hand and pulls her forward towards the room.

"You guys go ahead, I'll initiate the comic book signing protocol," The book appears in a glass box with gloves attached and Donnie starts wiping off the dust.

"Yeah, I'll, uh, supervise," Raph replies, Leo giving him a thumbs up. Jupiter Jim follows the three inside and guides them inside.

"Behold!" He gestures to all the figures inside. "A testament to my greatest intergalactic victories!"

"Oh!" Mikey slides up to a display of Robot Vampires. "Jupiter Jim and the Robo Blood-Suckers!" He actually spazzes out at the sight, falling onto the ground. The red-eared slider points to two police-like kangaroos.

"Ahh, that's the desert where he stopped the Kangarooies! A-And that's Crush-o-saurus Mech!" He looks up at the giant robot hanging from the ceiling.

"Wanna see something _really_ special?" Jupiter Jim asks, guiding his sight towards a Planet Reptilia mock-up.

"Jupiter Jim on Planet Reptilia!" Leo pulls the girl forward, pushing her inside.

"I'm telling you, this is all a little too real for me," She tells him, arms crossed as they explore.

"Woooow..."

"You look like right at home..." Jupiter Jim touches Leo's shoulders and he cringes, falling onto the ground.

"Hey!" Amy shouts, running up to the man. "What did you do that for?!" He grabs her arm and twists it behind her back, causing her to yelp.

"The Jupiter Jim Nerve Pinch is real?! You paralyzed him," Mikey pokes Leo's shell, the turtle twitching on the ground. "Do me, do me!"

"Mikey, don't just stand there, do something!" Amy yells at the turtle and he sees her predicament.

"Sure thing, pallie."

"I don't know," Raph lifts up a door. "Something about this dude is creeping me out. Let's just get the autograph and jet."

A straw from an apple juice comes out of his brother's mouth. "Do not rush me," Donnie retorts back, "Exposing interior pages to the element could impact its ultra-mint condition," He gestures to the book as it shines.

"He's got some cool stuff, though..." Raph eyes a figurine underneath a glass box. "I mean, this statue really looks like his red panda sidekick, Red Fox."

The statue actually blinks at him, freaking him out. "Ah! It blinked!"

Donnie peeks over his shoulder and stands in front of him, lifting up his goggles. "I'm sure it is merely an optical illusion caused by-ahh, oh no!" He sees it blinking and hides behind Raph's shoulder.

"Help...meee..." Red Fox asks with tears in her eyes.

"She's...she's alive!"

Donnie and Raph burst into the Hall of Victories, seeing that all the Robot Vampires are merely taped together, with people inside of them. Same thing with the other 'figurines,' they're either taped inside their costumes or zipped up into them.

"They're all alive...Moncrief thinks he's the real Jupiter Jim! And these poor fans are real villains!" Raph gasps sharply, remembering that his best friend and brothers came in here with the man. "Leo, Mellie, and Mikey!"

He's used the nerve pinch of the both of them, Amy handcuffed behind her back with a gag over her mouth, to show that the real Lavinia had been captured.

"Where's Moncrief?!" Raph asks the three.

"Jupiter Jim Ahoy!" A shadow looms over the two and they scream their heads off as the man is inside the Crush-o-saurus. They scramble away from the glass, sliding to a stop. Donnie protects the comic, of course.

"Hand over our brothers and sister, Moncrief!" Raph demands to him.

"Moncrief? Heh," He laughs at the name. "That's just an Earth name I use to lull villains such as you into a false sense of security! Then pow! Jupiter Jim neutralizes the threat, and once again keeps the galaxy safe from evil! You want your queen, you'll have to get past me!"

The two stare at him in disbelief. "Oh, I see. You're full-on crazy! Donnie, you go get Leo, Mikey, and Mellie. I'll handle this space case." Raph jumps towards who he thought was a hero while Donnie runs over to the display.

"Leo, help me, you're the super fan!"

"Answer...in...comic!" Leo manages to say through clenched teeth.

Donnie stares at him incredibly. "Yeah right. You cannot possibly be suggesting that I expose this mint-condition Jupiter Jim one thousand to the elements!"

"Donnie!" Raph calls out as he's being chased by the crazy actor.

"Can't we just get new brothers?!"

"DONNIE!"

Amy manages to slip free of her gag, "DONNIE IF YOU DON'T OPEN THAT BOOK I WILL PERSONALLY PUT YOU IN _**HELL**_!"

"Okay, okay!" He sweats a bit at her angry tone of voice, opening up the plastic. A frown is on his face for what he's about to do. He opens up the book, cringing the entire time. "Mint...ah...near mint...ah! Ah no, very good! Oh, I can't look!" His hands stop on one particular page. "Jupiter Jim's Nerve Pinch Reverse Technique!"

"Huh. Never would've guessed that was a thing," Amy glances at Leo. He really is a super fan. Donnie touches Leo in certain points and he falls onto the ground, back to normal...well, somewhat. He still feels sluggish. Donnie does the same thing to Mikey, who falls near Leo. Then he runs over to Amy and picks the lock on the cuffs. She sighs in relief as she removes the bandana off her neck.

"We're free!" Mikey cheers as Leo rushes over to Amy.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm mostly annoyed at Donnie," She glances at the turtle, who's holding the precious comic he had to open.

"At what cost...?" He looks at the paper crinkles, tears in his eyes.

"But I'll be fine," She finishes to Leo.

"Um, little help over here!" Raph exclaims, still running from Jupiter Jim. He grabs the turtle in his hand.

"One down."

"You'll never catch the rest of us, Moncreep!" Leo declares, the others standing their ground. "Come on guys, let's-" Jupiter Jim grabs Donnie and Mikey in the other hand, laughing. The lone turtle stands in front of Amy to protect her. "Stay behind me."

"Take that, alien scums! I will protect this Earth from all evil!"

"If he thinks we're all real aliens...let's be real aliens," Leo smirks as he forms a plan. "Freeze, Jupiter Jim! Or I will blast you with the Invisible Blaster from, uh, Set Alpha 9 as seen in Jupiter Jim and the Invisible Blaster from Set Alpha 9!"

"Egad! Don't shoot!" He falls for it and drops the others. "I should've planned for your devious reptilian cunning! And for the treachery from your queen!"

Amy pinches her nose but decides to go with it as it seems to be working.

"Now," Leo puts on a brave face. "It doesn't have to be this way. For centrulons, our species have been at war. But the one thing I know Jupiter Jim values above all else is interplanetary peace! And for a lady to be respected like our queen should."

"That _is_ my prime directive," He raises a brow, impressed by his knowledge.

"And peace begins with a hug. What do you say? Bring it in, bro!" Leo opens his arms for a hug.

"Peace ahoy!" He swings Leo and Amy into a hug, squeezing them. The turtles stare up at them.

"Not exactly what I meant by a hug, but it's all good."

He releases the two. "Now that our species have a continuous alliance, I'll be seeing ya around the galaxy! And you as well, your majesty," He bows to Amy, who sweats a bit, holding up a hand.

"Please don't-"

"BOW TO YOUR QUEEN!" He shouts to the others, who bend down and bow. Amy raises an amused brow, hands on her hips.

"Actually, I think I like being the queen now."

"We would love to see you again," Leo smiles as he gestures to himself and Amy.

"Peace wins the day! But I'll be watching you."

"And I'll be watching you too," Amy warns him, "No more kidnapping us, or anyone else for that matter!"

"Uh, speaking about that, guys? Just wanted to point out that these villains are actually REGULAR PEOPLE IN COSTUMES! Just wanted to make it clear so we're all on the same page moving forward," Raph crosses his arms.

"Why didn't you say that earlier?!"

"Maybe because I was being chased, Mellie!"

And so they set everyone free and they leave in a panic, relieved to be away from the apartment. The turtles fly away with Donnie's shell while Amy summons her bike.

"Until we meet again!" Jupiter Jim calls out, waving to them, but hopefully, they'll never have to have this...experience ever again.

The brunette frowns to herself. If she hadn't bought those tickets, none of this would've ever happened… she just wanted to help her friends.

"I'm…sorry about Jupiter Jim, guys. I don't know what I was thinking buying those tickets. I knew how much you loved him, and…it was a bad experience."

She closes her eyes, feeling ashamed.

"That's okay, Amy."

Amy opens her eyes in shock, looking at her friends. They're all smiling at her.

"Yeah, you couldn't have known that he was crazy," Raph shrugs at her.

"We saw so many marvels!" Donnie holds out his hands, still feeling excited about earlier. "And I guess I can eventually forgive you for making me open the comic book, now that part was totally your fault."

An electric orb is thrown at him, and he dodges it swiftly. Looking up, he sees Amy glaring at him. She didn't _make_ him do anything behind a glass door and also being tied up. As cool as The Force was, she doesn't have that.

"Besides, I could never stay mad at my lady!" Leo jumps so that he's sitting behind Amy, giving her an affectionate hug. "Did you see me talking down Jupiter Jim to a peace agreement?! Best moment of my life. Well, second best. I could never forget meeting you~"

Raph and Donnie roll their eyes while Mikey clasps his hands together. "Aww," He murmurs to himself as he can see the blush on Amy's face. She clears her throat awkwardly, tugging at her collar.

"T-Thanks, guys. I…almost thought I'd lose my friends…"

They glance to each other as she stays silent, gripping the handlebars of her bike. She's sometimes a bit unsure if whether or not she's being a good friend to them. After all, when she changed her personality back in middle school, everyone stayed away from her. They didn't want to risk getting beat up by a girl who could bite their head off…

"That won't happen!" Raph suddenly declares dramatically, "You're our older sister and we accept you for who you are!"

"Anyone who doesn't like a part of our family is a jerk!" Mikey pumps a fist.

Donnie clears his throat. "Well, if I have to say one thing, it's that Mia has good taste in fashion…"

Raph elbows him in the arm.

"And she's scary…"

"Donnie!" Raph and Mikey shout at him.

"I meant it as a good thing!"

"Anyway, they're right," Leo gives Amy an affectionate pat on the head. He'd kiss her if he wasn't in sight of two unsuspecting brothers. "Except obviously Donnie. You're tough, but loyal. And compassionate at rare times, but that's okay."

Amy smiles softly at them. Despite Donnie's last comment, she's just glad to hear those words. "…Ugh. I guess I'm turning soft, huh?"

"Very slowly. I mean, you still act like our mean older mom."

"Old!" She slaps Raph on the arm. "I am not old! And it's called being sane."

"Raph does have a good point," Mikey smirks playfully. "You're always there being…what's the word?"

"I think they call it constrained?"

"What's the word that means to be in control?"

Amy gives a deadpan look. "…You mean responsible?"

"Ohh…yeah, you're definitely that, but more crankier."

"You darn kids get out my bakery!" Leo shakes a fist, imitating Amy.

"Hey, I happen to like kids! And I don't talk like that!" She pouts playfully.

"Oh, wait, wait," Donnie calls out, "I'm Amelia, and I'm so catty!"

"And I'm so old, I break my hip on every crack on the sidewalk!"

All of them end up laughing, even Amy. She should've been mad, but it's actually a relief to be laughing…

Especially when she has a mission to complete, reluctantly and very against upon…

* * *

Splinter sigh as he's watching another one of his movies. "How I miss my spandex onesies..."

"Ah, right where we left you."

He looks up to see Leo leaning on the chair. "Oh, uh," He clears his throat, "Hello sons, daughter. How was your day hanging out with _Jupiter Jerk?"_ Amy's probably the only one who's noticing that he sounds jealous.

"Eh, it had its ups and downs," Leo replies as they gather around the chair. "But who needs that guy? As far as we're concerned, we live with our hero. Our non-kidnapping hero!"

"Yeah...tell us about the stuntman again," Mikey leans in eagerly. Splinter smiles, glancing up at Amy, who nods with a smile.

"Oh, Chad! Ha ha! What a prankster..."

* * *

Amy and Brit are sneaking around Worley's Derbies...ugh. The sound of that. It's a company that makes the parts behind cars, which is why the Worley family is so well-off. A tall man with dark brown hair and a nice navy blue suit steps out, talking on the phone.

"That's him," Brit narrows his eyes.

"So how are we gonna play this?" Amy crosses her arms.

"Simple. We follow him to your mother and we make them break up. Then we won't have to become siblings..."

They both shudder at the thought. One would wonder how they came to an agreement...

" _Tell me you're kidding," Raph dragged a hand down his face._

" _There's a time and place for jokes...and that time is not within my lifetime right now," Leo sighed wearily. Raph rolled his eyes._

" _What in the-how did that even happen?!" Mikey exclaimed in shock, Donnie on his phone._

" _It's pretty obvious," Brit snorted as he sat across from them, making fire from his finger. "When a man likes a woman, he puts his-"_

" _Okay, I think we don't need the details," Amy interrupted in disgust. Mikey was confused, Raph covered Mikey's ears, and Leo wiggled his brows. Donnie held in a laugh._

" _Classic."_

" _Then why did you ask?" Brit asked innocently. Amy facepalmed at him before trying not to cry._

" _Why would my mom do this to my dad?" She sniffled, "She's better than this...I don't even know the man! Not personally, anyway. My life just continues to be falling apart."_

" _You're right, it's more broken than stable," Donnie called out._

" _Not helping," She glared at him._

" _At least now you're mad rather than sad," He held up a finger. She started crying. "Ah, now you're mad and sad. Ah well, I tried."_

" _We can't let this happen! I don't want them together as much as crybaby here does," Brit jerked a thumb at Amy. "We gotta break them up."_

" _How? Ms. Santiago can't see Mellie without freaking out," Raph pointed out._

" _True..." Brit thought of a plan while Leo leaned in towards Amy._

" _I know what makes you feel better," He whispered huskily and she shivered. She knew that they agreed on never in the lair, but she really needed some comfort..._

 _Some hot...steamy...comfort..._

After some _much_ needed cheering up from Leo, they came up with the idea to shadow Brit's dad so that they know where his reservation is for tonight. That way, they can come back (with Amy wearing an elaborate disguise), and disrupt the date. Foolproof...

Hopefully.

"You ready for this, guys?" Raph asks as they're on the roof. They're near a fancy Italian restaurant, where Mr. Worley and Ms. Santiago are. Amy has on a grey trench coat over her clothes, wearing a black fedora over her hair. Her bang is tucked in, the rest of her hair a bun so that her mother doesn't recognize it. Her boots are black.

"Wow, you look so old," Brit snorts at her. "Like 1987 old."

"Says the one who wears a business suit at 10 years old," She retorts back and he growls, clenching his fists.

"Alright, alright, let's not fuel the fire," Leo steps in. "Remember, you're supposed to work together on this."

"Ugh. Let's get this over with so we can go back to being enemies," Amy crosses her arms, eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Agreed!" Brit huffs back, turning away.

They sneak in through the back entrance, jumping past all the waiters, cooks, and the manager. They open the kitchen door, sneaking a glance around the room.

"There!" Amy points to her mother, who's wearing a sleek black dress that hugs her hips. She has her black purse, black heels, and her hair is in a neat ponytail. Mr. Worley is wearing a fancy black suit.

"So, Nadia," He plays with the tip of his glass. "Is there a Mr. Santiago in the picture?" He winks at her, making her giggle.

"No..."

"Ah, they're so gross," Amy sticks out her tongue in disgust.

"We need to get closer." Brit jumps underneath a moving cart. Amy trails after the waiter, jumping underneath when no one's looking. The waiter stops right at their target table.

"Stop moving," The fabric wiggles around as they try to move.

"You stop moving!" Amy hisses back.

"You will do as I say, woman!" A small smack is heard. "Ow."

"Shut up or they'll hear us."

"What are your hobbies?" Nadia asks curiously. "I know so little about you."

"And I about you," He grins at her. "But...making money, attending staff meetings-"

"How about something that doesn't involve work?" She rubs her chin.

"That's all I do," He chuckles as Brit reaches out his arm towards their table. "I'm never without a cell phone in my hands...until tonight that is."

"Hurry up before I puke," Amy whispers to Brit.

"I can't find his drink."

She sighs wearily and pulls on the tablecloth slightly, causing Mr. Worley's drink to spill on his pants. "Ahh, my new suit!" He exclaims angrily, standing up. The stain looks like he...soiled himself.

"Oh dear," Nadia stands up, seeing the stain. "Oh, erm..."

He looks towards his gaze, eyes widened like he's a deer in headlights. "No, no, no, it's not what you think, I...!"

"Well..." She rubs her arm nervously, looking away.

He clears his throat, sitting down. "W-why don't we continue?" He stammers, sweating a bit.

"Nice one," Brit comments to Amy and she's surprised by the genuine compliment.

"Thanks...but it's not enough."

"Dinner is served," The waiter holds their food.

"I've felt so empty ever since my family passed away," Nadia murmurs in sorrow, Amy closing her eyes. "But they would want me to be happy..."

Amy flares up her nose in anger, tripping the waiter. He stumbles, causing all the food to be poured on Mr. Wortley.

"Oh, you IDIOT!" He screams at the waiter, standing up with angry fists. "I will sue you, do you hear me? SUE!"

"P-Please sir, I'm sorry. Let me get that," The waiter tries to help, but fails.

"Don't touch me!" Mr. Wortley smacks away his hand. Nadia glances away nervously. She was never one to like a...angry man like him. Maybe he'll prove her wrong at the end of the night...? She really didn't want to see what he could be like when provoked. "Just leave! And I'll be having a word with your boss!"

The waiter runs off crying, Brit and Amy cringing.

"What is going on...?" Nadia whispers to herself.

"One more and she'll leave," Amy whispers to Brit, who smirks.

"I got just the thing." He peeks out of the tray, looking up to see dessert. "I can't reach. Reach out your hand."

She's so lucky both adults are too focused on themselves rather than their hands. She reaches out and starts feeling the fabric. "Go to the left. Further, further." She slinks her hand to the left and he grins as he sees something. "Stop, stop. This one, right there."

She lightly touches it, knowing what it was. She slowly moves the dessert into her hand, peeking to the adults. She sticks out her tongue and throws the pie right into Mr. Worley's face.

"That is it! I am closing this place down! How dare I be treated this way?!" Mr. Wortley shouts, getting onto his feet. "ALL OF YOU ARE IDIOTS! DUMB, STUPID, IMCOMPETENT IDIOTS! DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?! I AM THE REASON YOU CAN ALL DRIVE! I HOPE YOUR BRAIN CELLS ARE AS DENSE AS THIS FOOD!"

"Sir, your check," The manager hands him the bill. "And you are not allowed on the premises from this moment forward. I won't have you disturbing my restaurant."

"Two hundred thousand dollars?!" He wheezes, looking at the feast next to him. He had ordered everything on the menu. "Darling, I'm-" He turns to Nadia, only to find that she's gone. Amy sees her mother storming out of the restaurant.

"That's the last time I go out on a date with narrow-minded men!" She mutters to herself, calling for a taxi.

"Yes!" Brit and Amy high five...before wiping their hands. High fiving was weird.

"It worked!" Leo cheers when they come back. "We saw her leave. You two are officially free."

"Good! Now I can go back to that bakery being all mine!" Brit cackles evilly. He continues on for a minute and they stare at him blankly. "I'm done now," He says after he stops, walking over to his limo that was waiting for him.

"I hate to say it, but you two made a good team, Amy," Donnie comments and she scoffs.

"It doesn't change anything. Either way he's still a jerk. He'll never change."

His limo does donuts before speeding off, the others just staring. Though, she had to admit...

He was a pretty good ally for a little while.


	45. Insane in the Mama Train

**Angel: I just realized I have to write 3 half-hour episodes, in a row, because the episode airing after End Game is a special...*slams head slightly onto the table* Ugggh...**

 **I guess TMNT really likes Phil LaMarr...and you know why I say that? Because Marcus Moncrief from the previous episode is voiced by him...as in the same guy who voiced Baxter Stockman from the previous series! *slams head again* Am I just that scrambled with these changes Nick made that I didn't notice? I don't know, but I didn't put two and two together until last Tuesday. After this and the next episode, I will be officially releasing Flushed, but Never Forgotten and Lair Games since people have been waiting and waiting and waiting...**

 **And it seems like you guys will have to wait even longer because I just found out that they've moved those two episodes to being episodes 4 and 5. The first season 2 episode IS actually Many Unhappy Returns because that episode is supposed to happen directly after End Game. I kinda had a feeling they wouldn't leave it on that cliffhanger anyway, because that would be dumb, but now I have to wait until later to release those episodes. I'm not a TV producer, but I'm pretty sure that switching all the episodes around like this and releasing earlier ones can't be ideal XD**

 **These two specials took me forever, and not to mention, I had a research paper and two online exams going on at the same time, so I'm sorry it took so long to get these released.**

 **Also, they got 2012 Splinter's voice actor here! Yaaaas! Now we just need the other ones besides Greg Cipes XD**

A normal night is the last thing that would ever happen to Amy. Today was very stressful, and that was saying a lot for a teenage girl such as herself. One significant struggle of doing all the work is forgetting what goes where. For instance, today she mixed up the cookies and cream frosting for the chocolate mascarpone, she forgot to buy marshmallow fluff, so she had to use miracle whip (it was NOT ideal), and to top it all off, she ran out of baking soda...

And she got a prank text from Raph asking if she knew how to microwave a 25 pound turkey. Just the question alone was stupid. Unlocking her phone, she looks at the conversation.

 _R: Hey Mellie, how long do you microwave a 25 pound turkey?_

 _A: Wtf? You don't. Are you going savage again?_

 _R: I feel so offended by that. No, all we have is a microwave, our oven broke. Microwave doesn't have pre-cook thing. Can you help?_

 _A: Let me tell you something, if that thing has a pre-cook setting for turkey that goes in the oven, it's going to explode. You must be an alien, the real Raph isn't this dumb._

 _R: So like 8 hours then?_

 _A: Where did you hear that you can cook it in the microwave?_

 _R: Can't talk I'm covering the turkey with tinfoil._

 _A: I know you're not about to put tinfoil in a microwave! Call me NOW._

 _R: But microwave is faster._

 _A: I should've never moved out…_

 _R: A ham then?_

 _A: RAPH! Put your head in there and microwave that because you're pissing me off!_

 _R: You should see your face ;)_

She just wants to go to bed and lie down in it, because thankfully, it's a Friday, and weekends were all to herself...

Two days to do whatever she wants...

No problem...

Okay, what was she gonna do for the next two days?

"ARGH!" She shouts, pulling slightly at her ends. "I'm so burned out, I don't even know how to relax! God damn it!"

The front door from downstairs rings and she groans. She had JUST finished work for the day...who could that be at this hour?

She reaches underneath her bed and pulls out a rifle. This person better value the next few seconds of their lives, because she was not in the mood to deal with anyone.

Slowly scooting down the steps, she looks at the curtains, unable to detect who it is. Amy slowly pulls open the door, pointing the gun.

"Don't shoot!" Leo holds up his hands nervously, sweating profusely.

"Leo?" She sighs slowly, throwing the gun away. "You're lucky the thing wasn't actually loaded."

"Good to know," He chuckles nervously, glancing away.

"What are you doing here? It's almost midnight. Can't this wait till tomorrow?" She scratches her already messy hair, from the stress.

"Ah," He seems to be hiding something behind his shell. "Actually...I came to cheer up my lady!"

"Huh?" She blinks in confusion. "Cheer me up?"

"Well...a little birdie told me that you're stressed, so...here," Leo holds out a cherry pie, an envelope, and a tiny little box. She blushes at the gifts.

"W...Wait...How did you know that?" She puts a hand to her mouth in embarrassment.

"April's mom passed by here earlier. Sorry it isn't a cake, all we had were pie ingredients..." He sweats a bit. Does she even like pie? "Ugh, my brothers told me not to do this now...I should've listened."

"No," Amy shakes her head. "This is better than any cake," She beams as she takes the presents. "Thank you for coming here so late to make me feel better..."

"Open the rest," He murmurs bashfully and she opens the envelope first. She raises an eyebrow at the tiny little rectangle paper.

"A coupon for a massage parlor?"

"April says they give the best massages, they help with stress...right?" He shrugs sheepishly.

She chuckles a bit at how nervous he looks before slowly removing the bow and ripping off the wrapping paper. She could only stare at the box.

"What? Baking soda?"

"You ran out, right?" He looks down at the box. "This one has a subtle taste, so you can use as little as possible. It'll probably last a year or so."

"Aw." She smiles up at him. "Thanks for this, Leo. This is really sweet...but this is for a free massage from a male masseuse. I hope you're okay with that," She smirks in amusement.

"WHAT?!" He shrieks in surprise, snatching the coupon back. "No! Nope, not okay with this."

"Why?" Amy raises a brow. "It's not like anything's gonna happen."

"Why can't it be a girl?" He frowns in disapproval.

"We're not in a relationship, why is this bothering you?" She asks in exasperation.

"Relationship or not, no other guy should touch you...!"

"Oh boy," Amy facepalms at this. This was going to be a long night...

* * *

The next night, on Friday, Splinter is looking out to the city, wearing a disguise as his eyes glow yellow. He looks towards the Foot Shack, which is closed, as four Foot Ninjas are standing on the roof. Brit Worley is there, arguing with them.

"What do you mean I've been kicked out?!"

"It means you're no longer useful to our boss. You're done, kaput, outta his hair. Do I have to spell it out to you?" One of them asks nonchalantly.

"Boss?! You mean Baron Draxum is giving me the boot?! But I'm the most valuable on the team! I got all of you puppies!"

"Orders are orders. Now get lost."

"No!" He shouts, two soldiers taking him away as he wiggles around in protest. "You can't do this to me! I made all of you! You will rue the day you turned Brit Worley away!"

"Sheesh, no wonder why the girl with the bakery never puts up with him," He whispers to a comrade, who nods in agreement.

Splinter jumps off the building and falls towards the road, opening up his arms. His flying squirrel costume activates and he flies over, a pigeon getting in his way. He tries to move past it, but the bird won't let him go that easily.

"Shoo! Get out of here!" He knocks the bird away and it screeches, peeking at him. "Aah!"

"Hey...what's that?" One of the ninjas points up to Splinter, but they can't see that it's him. All they see is two apparent birds going at it.

"It's...two birds in love!"

"Aww!"

Splinter rolls past them, rendering the four unconscious. "Just like I planned..." He rubs the back of his head, bird poop landing on him. He grits his teeth, pulling out a shuriken and throwing it at the nuisance. The pigeon flies away past two girls, both of them wearing Foot outfits. He looks up as the two pull away the masks to reveal Amy and April.

"You didn't leave any goons for me?" She lands on an unconscious Foot member. "I got all jacked up for kicking some Foot butt, and you can't put that feeling back in the bottle!" She jumps up and down.

"Okay, okay, simmer down, girl," Amy steps up to her, patting her back.

"Do not worry," Splinter holds up a hand. "There is plenty more inside," He gestures to the sky window, which is how they get into the building, also by sneaking into vents. They land in front of a door before ending up in the underground area, seeing the Kuroi Yoroi. Splinter gasps as it's nearly finished now. "The dark armor...it is almost finished."

"Oh no..." Amy murmurs at the sight, horrified at the thought of a demon coming back to life.

They hear a laugh, staying quiet as Baron Draxum is standing in front of the armor. Amy grits her teeth, clenching a fist and April pats her back in sympathy. "We're close. Patience. Soon you will control great power!"

"And I commend you on kicking out that little kid. He was always trying to boss us around just because he's the son of some rich hot-shot," Foot Brute comments to him.

"He was wasting my time with his frivolous goals with my warrior," He narrows his eyes. "No one gets to Amelia but I! She is for me to handle."

"Where are the boys?" Splinter looks around. "They should be here by now."

"They know how important this mission is," April whispers back. "They'll be here."

"I haven't heard from them in the past 30 minutes," Amy mutters, looking at her phone that's on silent.

* * *

In the lair, Raph is dancing around. "Eat some cake! Eat some cake! Raph's gonna eat some, eat some, eat some cake!" He takes a slice from the fridge, but suddenly there's an explosion of feathers and it knocks him into a wall. Mikey laughs as he looks up at him.

"Classic Mikey prank attack!" He smiles at his success.

"Nice work, bro," Leo congratulates him. "Gimme some!"

"Yeah!" He high-fives a broom and he sees that 'Leo' is actually a bucket for a head, a sack for a body, and mops and brooms for limbs.

"Aw, nuts," He sweats a bit as the sack explodes into feathers, knocking the young turtle into a pile of empty pizza boxes. Leo starts laughing from the armchair, but the cushion from that explodes and knocks him into the air. He hits the ceiling before landing in front of Donnie.

"And victory," Donnie has a smug smile on his face. "That, gentlemen, is why I am the king of-"

Raph suddenly lands on him from above, causing the turtle to groan. "Hey guys, enough messing around! We need to train for Friday night's Foot mission!"

"But today is Friday," Mikey calls out from the pile.

"No it's not, it's Thursday," Leo tells him.

"No, it's Friday!"

"But the mission's on Friday."

Raph's eyes widen as the two argue. "Wait!" He looks at his phone, seeing the dozen of texts from Amy, who he has 'Mellie' for contacts. "If today's Friday..." The biggest turtle looks towards a calendar. "Then..."

"Wait, wait, wait! Don't touch-"

Leo's warning is too late as there's yet another blast and he hits the projection screen, landing on the floor. His turtle emblem lands on his head and goes off.

* * *

Splinter has one on his arm and Amy has one around her belt. Both of them go off and he gasps. "It is Red's panic button! My boys are in trouble! We must retreat!"

"You two go get 'em. I'll stay here and keep an eye on the armor," April tells the two.

"Absolutely not!" Amy shakes her head rapidly.

"No, it is too-"

"Don't worry," She smiles at them. "If things get dangerous, I'll bounce."

"Admirable bravery, April...you are a ninja supreme..." He backs away slightly and Amy hugs April, waving.

"We'll be back as soon as we can," She whispers, leaving with Splinter up the stairs.

"Wait...did he just call me a pizza?"

Draxum stares at the armor before walking away. "Start packing up the dark armor," Foot Brute calls out. "We're moving it to its final location for the grand ceremony!"

"Moving it? Final location? Grand ceremony?" April asks in alarm as she watches them take the pieces, put them into boxes, and tape them up.

"Uhh...I'm out of tape!" One of the Foot soldiers calls out.

* * *

Splinter and Amy return to the lair, only to find piles of feathers. The rat looks up and gasps at the hole Raph left, the feathers, and the pizza boxes. "Oh no...I am too late..." He kneels in horror as Amy looks around, trying not to cry. "They have been fluffed to...pieces..."

"Wait a minute," Amy senses Raph's 'I forgot something' stink and looks towards the armchair, where they come out of hiding.

"But...but the mission!" The four look down in shame.

"See...what had happened was..."

"ENOUGH!" Splinter shouts, surprising Amy. "Do you know...how could you...I am just...very disappointed."

At his sad look, they look towards the ground and he walks past Amy towards his room.

"Ames?" Leo asks slowly, Mikey reaching out a hand towards her. She holds up a finger, slowly backing away from them.

"Don't. I thought we could count on you, but you were slacking off. Again. And your excuse to me is that you were playing pranks on each other?"

"But Mellie-"

"Guys…I can't do this anymore," She closes her eyes and sighs sadly. "This is the last time. I've put up with it for too long. And to think I ever believed that you wanted to give me closure. If my siblings saw this…they'd be just as disappointed as I am…"

Their eyes turn sad as she turns around and leaves. Leo immediately takes action and runs up towards her. He slides to a stop in front of the girl.

"Dove, wait. I know we messed up, but you-"

"I don't wanna hear it," She interrupts, moving around him. "This wasn't just important to Splinter, it was important to _me_! Do you know how much I hate even thinking about Draxum and what he did? But you don't care, do you? I thought you understood, but...you're just too immature to really know how it feels for me."

"Ames..." He uses his most special nickname for her, frowning sadly. "I-I do understand, I-I...You can't just leave. Please," He grabs her wrist, but she wiggles it away.

"No, you don't understand!"

"I do!" He insists to her and she whips around to him.

"You don't. You don't! I have fought so hard to avenge my family. I-I don't know what else to say because that's just how angry I am! And you know you feel it too. And I know that you know exactly what you've done. I've watched you guys grow, and you know what it's like for me every single day. But I've waited, and I've worked harder at everything than ANYONE should. Anyone in New York! And every time I've gotten more and more words of encouragement from you guys, and I've taken it, and I've internalized it. And I fought harder than-than I thought I was capable of even fighting...but I really believe that you don't actually get it..."

Amy sniffles and his heart drops at the sight. "...Okay, I-"

"You get away from me," She points to him angrily. "You've done enough."

And with that, the girl whips around and leaves him behind.

"...Wait a minute, did we get rid of the-"

There's two explosions and two yelps heard, everyone except Leo leaving one by one. "Okay, that's on me..."

Amy huffs in anger as she shakes feathers off her clothes. Meanwhile, Splinter's room is a mess as his face is planted against the wall. He slides onto the carpet, eyes closed.

"Oh, my sons...they are not ready! They are not ninjas! ...I have failed my ancestors..." He suddenly remembers something that could help. "My ancestors!"

He scrambles towards a chest, rummaging through it until he finds an old scroll with the Hamato Clan symbol on it. The paper rolls all the way to the other side and he cringes at the length.

"Oh, that is a lot of reading."

The lights flicker and he looks around, wondering if it was a power outage...but Donnie would never allow that. The symbol of the scroll glows green, the whole room now in the same color. Splinter backs up a bit, knocking away a cup of water, but it stops in midair before it could spill. He looks back to the scroll as it rolls up, levitating. Green energy swirls around the rat.

"Hamato Yoshi...you have summoned the ancient spirit of your ancestors, the Hamato Clan," A deep voice says as he's surrounded by green spirits that look like ninjas.

"Yes! Audio book!" He cheers as the ancestor's mystic aura appears in front of him.

"I am here to guide you. Wait, is there a piece of pepperoni on me?"

Splinter quickly snatches it, realizing how bad this might look, and eats it. "No! Of course not. I would never soil such an important-looking mystic artifact that probably has some wisdom or something...hopefully?"

"Yes," The ancestor nods. "What wisdom do you seek to carry on your sacred duty as part of the-"

"Yeah, we're going to need to skip ahead to the 'what to do if you live your own life as an action star Lou Jitsu and the dark armor is almost complete, and your sons aren't ready' chapter," Splinter interrupts him.

The ancestor gives him a look. "Dude, way to leave things till the last minute."

Leo is skateboarding around while the others are contemplating what happened with Splinter and Amy. "You know, I'm not too worried about it," Donnie says confidently. "I mean, what's the punishment for missing a life-threatening Earth-saving mission anyway? It's gotta be pretty lenient."

"Listen," Leo comes to a stop near him. "Everyone mixes up a calendar now and then."

"Yeah," Mikey stands between them. "We'll just say sorry, I'll give him my puppy-dogs eyes, and-"

"Puppy dog eyes ain't gonna cut it," Raph speaks up. "Dad isn't mad, and neither is Mellie. They're...disappointed...and now Mellie's stopped being friends with us. You all texted and called, but did you realize that she hasn't answered a single one?"

They look away sadly, Raph standing up. "We need to make it up to them, guys. Big time!"

* * *

They knock at a familiar place. Amy opens up the door and gives them one long look. Then she turns around and is about to slam it when Leo sticks his arm between the small space.

"Wait! At least listen to what we have to say!"

She sighs in exasperation and opens up the door again. "Two minutes."

"We're sorry…" Raph starts off and she pauses, staring at them. The four turtles look genuinely remorseful. "We thought it was tomorrow and that today was Thursday, but...it's Friday, and when I saw the texts...that's when we knew."

"We should've been there like we promised…" Mikey frowns up at her.

"We still wanna help you, Mia. Marco and Lucia deserve justice," Donnie speaks up next.

"And…we can't stop the Foot without you," Leo gives her a pleading look. "We never meant to hurt you or your family…we can prove that we've got your back...just give us a second chance to show you." He hopes that she understands the double meaning behind that.

"Please...we even made a cake!" Mikey holds up a vanilla and blue frosted cake that says 'We're very sorry.'

She looks away, thinking about her dead family members…and what they'd want her to do. Marco was a family man, and he'd never turn them away…and Lucia was so innocent and sweet…and her father did everything he could to make sure they were happy...

"…You guys are my family too…"

They glance to each other as she gives a small smile, shrugging. "We've been through a lot these past months, and…I don't want to be alone again…so I forgive you. But don't flake on me again."

The four run up to the girl and hug her. "Well, sis," Raph smiles a little. "Time to start our training...after we apologize to Pops."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the mystic train station, mutants are in line taking tickets, waiting for the next train, or just talking. A horn sounds as the train drives past, the horn going off again. The wheels skid to a stop, the Foot Soldiers in line to put a box inside. April is in disguise there, stopping for a second.

"This doesn't really count as dangerous, right?" She asks herself. The girl said so herself: she had to keep an eye on the armor, and the armor was being moved. A simple train ride isn't that dangerous in her eyes...she sees two people nearby, doing a double take. Draxum is standing next to Big Mama herself.

"I'm flattered you asked for my help, Draxy. May I ask exactly what it is you're moving?"

"You may not," He walks past the woman and she groans in frustration.

"Rude! I love it!" Her eyes turn red as she turns into her spider form. "But we both know my train's the only way to secretly move your cargo to the shrine."

"And I'm paying a heavy price for you not to ask questions," He retorts back, holding up a strange honey-colored orb. April squints her eyes at them suspiciously, not noticing that the Foot Soldier in front of her has moved.

"hm. Scrumptious. I can't wait to use it," Big Mama wiggles her fingers and Foot Recruit rudely steps in front of April.

"HEY! You're holding up the line!"

"Oh, okay!" April scrambles forward, not wanting to ire her further.

"I swear," She crosses her arms, "The greatest threat to this ancient mystic clan is LYING EFFICIENCY! Now move, PLEASE!"

They walk past her like actual soldiers.

* * *

Splinter opens up the door from his room, stopping short when he sees the turtles kneeling to him. "Boys?"

Amy gestures to them as they all look guilty. "Dad..." Raph speaks up, "We're sorry...not like our normal sorry, like for real sorry this time. Will you let us make it up to you?"

"Yeah...it's time we grew up and accepted our destiny...as descendants of the Tomato Clan."

"It's Hamato," Donnie whispers to Leo.

"That's it. It is Hamato, right?"

"We're ready to become the ultimate ninjas, Dad," Donnie says as they keep their heads down.

"Starting right now!" Mikey rips off the pink lightning bolt off his shell, cringing and screaming so loud that car alarms go off from the surface.

"Oh...wow...um," Amy sweats a bit. "M-Mikey, you didn't need to go that far."

He hides his tears and keeps his serious face. Splinter looks up at Amy, who nods, meaning that she's forgiven them. He puts his hands behind his back, gesturing to the middle spot. Amy kneels between Raph and Leo.

"A great challenge lies before us..."

He paces in front of the five. "The dark armor is almost complete. According to the ancient scrolls, you must learn the ways of our ancestors, the Hamato Clan Ninjas!" He gestures for the five to attack him. They jump forward towards him, but he slips past them and hits all of them in the face with his rail, landing in front of them. He shakes his head in disapproval.

"This will require great focus and sacrifice." Raph gets rid of his Teddy Bear Town bears, shedding tears. Leo rips off the Jupiter Jim poster off his wall. "It is time to get serious." Donnie takes off his shell and uses his wrist computer to make the rest explode in his lab. "You must let go of your childish ways." Mikey bids farewell to pizza, saluting to the box as it floats down the sewer water. Amy stands in the spare room, looking away at some things she keeps here in case she had to stay here for any reason. A picture of her with her siblings is sitting on the dresser and she clenches a fist in determination, placing the photo down gently.

"You must become more than turtles and a teenage girl from New York."

They charge at Splinter again. "You must become one." However, they still fail at beating him and he smacks them all with the tail again, but he nods at them for their progress. Then the rat starts sewing something in his room, smiling.

"You must become an extension of the clan."

They attack again, Leo swinging his sword at his father. He jumps up and spins around. "Ready to sacrifice all." The turtle ducks underneath the tail, surprising Splinter. Mikey and Donnie jump up behind him to attack, but he eludes them. He slides to a stop before Raph and Amy jump behind him, pushing the small mutant to the ground.

"Only then will you be ready to fight."

He looks up at them, seeing their dark shadows and white eyes, Amy's hair flying to the right side of her body. He smiles up at the five, pacing in front of them again once it's over. He's holding something in his hands as they all have serious looks for once.

"The old versions of you will be gone." He holds out the black robes to Leo, who's surprised for a second before he nods. "Shed like a skin." Four masks and a ribbon fall to the ground. "You will be remade to the image of your ancestors."

Together, they put on the new outfits and red masks, turning to him with white eyes. "Are you ready, my children?"

"Yes, sensei," The five say in unison. They're all dressed in black with red masks, red wrappings around their feet and waists, and Amy's blonde highlights are now bright red as her hair is in a low ponytail with a red bow. She also has red boots instead of wrap, but they won't make any noise. Her mask covers the entire top of her head, her bangs tucked underneath.

* * *

"All aboard!" The conductor calls out and people start to enter. April peeks around the corner while holding her box, sneaking inside.

"I'll take it from here."

Her eyes widen and she turns to see Foot Lieutenant standing in front of her. He takes the box from her. "Uh, where you moving it?" She asks quietly, and he abruptly comes to a stop. The man gives her a suspicious look, narrowing his eyes. She gives a nervous look, thinking she was done for...

"...Thank you for asking!" He suddenly exclaims with a small smile. "People take very little interest in my work and I'm quite proud of it! Now then, I'm moving the armor in the front car, where it will be safe."

She looks over his shoulder to see the golden door. Foot Brute is sleeping nearby, snoring. "Oh, great! So, I'm gonna head out. I gotta a lot of evil to catch up on."

"No, no, no," He stops her before she can even attempt to leave to go warn the others. "Everyone must remain on the train." The doors, windows, and roof close, barring anyone access from trying to leave...including April herself.

She puts her hands behind her back, chuckling nervously. He pats her head before leaving and the train starts up, leaving the station.

"Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic!" She whispers to herself, and that triggers an idea. "Oh, actually..." She holds up her wrist with the panic button around it and her finger pushes it.

"Thank you for pressing the panic button. Your panic is important to us." Donnie's automatic voice is so loud, it sheds April's disguise off her. She places her hand on top of it, gasping and looking behind her. Some fabric lands on Foot Brute, the flame on his head burning out the one over his face. April jiggles the knob at one of the doors, cringing over her shoulder. She is now stuck on the train's journey to who knows where...

* * *

The turtles and Amy are jumping over rooftops as part of their training, landing in front of their teacher. They bring their hands together and bow.

"Sensei."

He starts crying, wiping away tears as he looks at them proudly. "Sensei, are you crying?" Raph asks curiously.

"Ah! No!" He makes them go away, sniffing. "It's just...this air. You guys smell onions, right? Onion air?"

Donnie's wrist computer beeps and he looks at it. "Sorry, Sensei. It's April's panic button, Sensei. I will ignore it, Sensei." He shuts it off, the brunette staring at him weirdly. It was almost unnatural to see Donnie this way...

"Good...good...A true ninja must remain-"

"Um, Sensei? He said April?" Amy calls out to him. "Who probably needs our help?"

"OH NO!" He suddenly realizes where April's been all this time. "April! The armor! Training over, you all pass, graduate. Hip hip hooray, go!" He pushes them off the building and jumps after them, hoping that April's okay.

Foot Brute walks over to where April was, only to find her panic button left behind. "Heeey..." He puts the small mirror up to his face. "We got company. They must be after the armor." He holds up the button, but Foot Lieutenant is too busy exercising.

"Can't you deal with this on your own? I'm trying to get swole. Find them!" And with that, he hangs up, Foot Brute smashing the button to bits. April is hiding above him, gasping as sweat starts dripping down her face. She tries to stop it with all her might.

The Turtle Tank and Amy's bike drive down the streets side-by side, reaching the water. Amy looks to her left to see the bay, looking back to her tracker.

"Based on April's trajectory, she should be right there," Donnie gestures to the water, where something seems to be streaming across the water, but there's nothing there.

"I _know_ I'm not going crazy. Do you see that?" Amy asks them from outside. Splinter pulls off Donnie's gloves and puts them on, seeing the mystic train.

"Mystic train...behind some sort of shimmer. Of course. That's how they're transporting the dark armor!"

"Let me portal us, Sensei," Leo gestures to himself. "While Amelia stays with you."

"Huh?" She murmurs in confusion. He's never used her full name before...it felt weird.

"No! The shimmer blocks all mystic powers. You must use your training to get April and the armor back. Now get to the roof and move on my command, Raph! With everyone!"

"Please, Sensei," He places a hand on his shoulder. "Call me Raphael." He bows his head and leaves with the others like shadows. Splinter tears up at this and Amy slides her bike underneath the Turtle Tank. Two claws grab her bike, the shaft opening up above her head. She jumps up from above, following the others to the roof. They stare at the stream of water, unable to see the train.

"How do we get on a train that we can't see?" Raph calls out to Splinter, hair and masks flying.

"Trust me! On my command!" He slips on the goggles, pressing on the gas. The Tank drives faster on the highway, the five ninjas standing up and waiting. Splinter looks to his left, seeing the chance. "Now!"

They all jump off, going through the invisible portal and landing on the top of the train without alarming anyone inside. The train moves past the Brooklyn Bridge. The five stand up with proud smiles before something green flashes. They cringe as they see a tunnel up ahead.

April tries to move the sweat drop back onto her face, making a face to bring it back up, but it falls onto Foot Brute anyway. He looks up, growling at the sight of her.

"Oh, it's you. Looks like you don't have any friends to save ya this time," He chuckles and reaches his hand out towards her. Suddenly a panel falls on the floor, the turtles and Amy landing in front of them. "I jinxed myself...hey, you guys look different. Did you get a haircut?"

Mikey slams his weapon into his face, pulling it back and he falls onto the ground. April gets out of her hiding spot, landing on his stomach. "What?" She notices their new looks and serious faces. Mikey and Raph fist-bump each other.

"April, are you okay?" Raph approaches her, but she pushes past him instead of answering.

"Uhhh...why do you guys look...like that whole situation?" She gestures to their outfits and they all bring their hands together.

"We are Hamato/Tomato Clan."

"Hamato," Leo corrects himself as Amy smiles a little.

"It's actually pretty cool," She gestures to her hair.

"Donnie, have you been experimenting on their brains again? Cause Amy would kill you if you did," April points to her head. She couldn't believe she was staring at her best friends right now. They all look so serious, which isn't like them at all. She can tell by Amy's slightly hesitant look that she feels the same way.

"Negative. We are on a mission to find the dark armor," He brings his hands together again. "Are you aware of its location?"

"Yeah, I-it's in the front car at the other end of the train, but before we can go anywhere, can we talk about this?!" She gestures to their clothes.

"No time! Ninjas, on me," Raph declares and they backflip away. The train goes through the portal and into the mystic city. Raph opens up a door, and they look inside to see the dining car. The five flip past everyone using either the tables, the chandeliers, or just flipping in general. April approaches a random mutant sitting by himself.

"Excuse me, um, where is this train going?" She points up towards the front.

"Um, I'm not sure. I'm just giving a delightful seminar on mystic taxes. Interested?"

She gives a bored look at the mention of taxes. "Sorry, no time for boring," The girl leaves to go follow her friends, who are standing in front of a golden door with lots of different colored buttons all over it. Raph steps forward and pushes, but it doesn't budge.

"How do we get to the front with no doors?"

"Hmm..." Amy eyes all the buttons. "I think these all correspond to a certain room, but I can't tell which one would get us to the dark armor..."

"Everyone, get close!"

They gather together with white eyes. "Wait!" April jumps onto Raph, but he pushes a button and they teleport through the door. April slides onto the ground and their eyes widen as they see the spa room.

"Uh, this is definitely not the front!" Leo exclaims at people getting massages.

"Okay, stay calm, keep our minds clear, and think of a plan." A cucumber is placed over his eye, the others having the same veggies over their own as they sit on the floor.

"Wait, wait, plan? You guys?!" April points to them in disbelief. Who were they, and what have they done with her best friends? "Okay, this is really starting to freak me out." She pokes Donnie and Leo, slamming her fist onto Amy's head.

She winces in pain, rubbing the top of her mask. "Ahh..."

"Oop. Sorry, girl. Just wanted to make sure you weren't brainwashed!"

The cucumbers from Donnie's eyes fall. "Huh...Amelia's right. It appears that each button tie to a different car...but yeah, it's really hard to tell which one will get us to the front."

"Wait, wait, wait...you're admitting that I'm right? Out of your own choice?" Amy asks slowly; that was definitely a first in her lifetime.

"Then we'll try 'em all! Donatello, Michelangelo, you're up!" Raph orders the two and they join hands, pressing a button. Blue flashes come from the train as they start trying different rooms.

"Here?"

"No, not here."

"Here?"

"Not here."

"Here?"

"Negative."

The two end up in the gym. "No dark armor."

"Nope," Donnie agrees with his brother.

"Turtles!" Foot Lieutenant and Foot Recruit are there, working out. "You must be the infiltrators."

"Let's get the information out of these turkeys," Donnie narrows his eyes, Foot Recruit getting away from the dumbbell.

"I'm going to enjoy breaking every single bone—is there something different about you guys?"

"Yeah, they're even lamer than before," Foot Lieutenant grins, both of them chuckling.

"That is the sickest of burn-" Donnie had taken a disc and thrown it past them. It hits a button, which allows them to escape. A fellow mutant screams as that could've hit him.

"What ever happened to hero-villain banter?" Foot Lieutenant asks bitterly, running up to them.

* * *

Leo, April, and Amy appear in a room full of frozen meat. "How are we supposed to find the armor?" April questions while standing up.

"Shh," Leo shushes her. "Watch. Amelia, with me."

She sees them completely disappear into thin air. "We blend in..." he sneaks past the meat, Amy hiding behind one of them, though she is slightly disgusted.

"What?! Leo? Amy?"

"We remain unseen..." He goes up to the roof as April looks around, baffled. "We are one with the shadows...and they'll never see us coming..." The two appear in front of the door, only to be hit from behind. Leo lands on his back, standing in front of April. Amy flips onto her feet, turning around to see the same guardsman that they 'battled' when they first met Mayhem. April screams as he leaps towards them, but Leo swings his sword as Amy turns her weapon into tessens.

The other guardsmen is getting a massage, one of the cucumber slices falling. His face turns into alarm as he sees Raph standing in front of the door, trying to figure out which button to push.

"Huh. Eeiny...miney...mo!" His eyes fall on a black button with a yellow line.

"Not that button!" The guardsmen jumps from behind, attacking Raph, who uses his tonfas to dodge.

The wheels of the train spark as Leo and Amy fight the guard swiftly. The turtle jumps into the air, spinning around his sword. Amy leaps next to him, twirling while holding her fans and opening them.

Raph slams down the weapon from his opponent, trying to punch him and failing. The guardsman trips him and he rolls to face him, clashing weapons. The hook of the sword locks onto the tonfas.

"Uh oh."

He throws Raph to the opposite side.

Donnie pulls out his staff and it extends. He spins it behind his back, spinning around Foot Recruit with it. He kicks Foot Lieutenant while catching his weapon, going back to Foot Lieutenant and knocking them both around. Mikey spins his whip around behind him and Donnie slams his staff to the ground. The whip twirls like a tether ball, hitting Foot Recruit in the face.

Leo and Amy slide to a stop, clashing weapons with the guardsman. They swing at him, dodging attacks multiple times. All of them continue to fight with their respective opponents, Foot Recruit landing at a lever. This changes the gravity in the room from max to none. She yelps as she spins around in the air.

"Hey! Hey! You guys are gonna pay for this!"

Mikey spins his whip and captures her with it. He flings her over to the door, sending her somewhere else on the train.

Raph spins around, dodging attacks along the way before Foot Recruit ends up landing on his head. She cringes as she catches the sword towards her head that was meant for the turtle.

"Not me, you idiot!"

He sneaks up behind her and she ducks as he punches the guardsman in the face, knocking him into the door. He disappears a few seconds later.

Flashes of blue and pink appear as the duo's weapons are flying around. "If we're gonna get to the dark armor, we need to get past this guy," Leo says to Amy, and the other guardsman suddenly appears right in front of him.

"Uhh..."

"And apparently this guy."

He snarls, jumping towards a sweating Leo. A block of ice hits his face before he could touch either of them, landing on his back.

"Hoo! Now it's a party!" April flings another block, the duo ducking their heads so that it can hit their opponent. They smile at April. "Really? Nothing? No puns? No 'chill out, bruh!' No ice to meet ya! If Amy had ice powers instead of electricity, she'd get it!"

"Oh god, is this a thing now?" Amy facepalms at this. "Mikey commented on that once too..."

"Hey, let's try and keep it professional, please," He tells her as one of them woke up and is heading right towards them. Amy turns around and punches him in the face, but he kicks her away. She slams into Leo and they touch the door, disappearing. April gives a worried look as she's on her own now with two large mutants...

"Uh oh..."

The train keeps moving further into the city as Raph stares down Foot Recruit. She laughs at him and he gestures for her to make the first move. She does the same thing and they both start egging each other on, with neither of them actually making a move.

"Come on!"

A mutant looks between the two in a hot bath, sipping his drink awkwardly. Raph looks over her shoulder and sees the door. He narrows his eyes and slams the water, spraying her eyes. This gives him enough time to sneak towards the door. She gains her eyesight back and just before he presses the black button, she directs his finger to a different one, laughing smugly.

"Nuh uh."

"No!" He teleports into a dark room.

"Next," The giant turtle opens his eyes, Leo sitting next to him, with Amy at Leo's left. "What do you do if you finance-"

"Leo? Mellie? What are you two doing?"

Someone shushes him and he looks to see an injured mutant nearby. "Trust me, don't talk!"

"Which is why diversifying your portfolio is the most conservative approach to protecting your pile of gold."

The three silently get away, Amy holding her head. "Oh thank goodness, I was getting tired of hearing stuff I already know..."

The two give her a look and she meets their eyes. "I'm a 15-year-old girl running my own business. Of course I know how to do taxes," She deadpans at them quietly.

"Train is insane!" Leo rolls his eyes. "We just keep bouncing around and getting nowhere! How are we ever gonna get to the dark armor?"

"I don't know! There's too many buttons! Every time I try to push-wait a second," His eyes go wide in realization. Leo looks to Amy, who shrugs cluelessly. "I think I just figured it out!"

They look to each other and grin, their eyes turning red.

"Nice work," Leo says, even though Raph didn't say anything. "Wait...did we just ninja mind meld?"

Raph just replies an answer in their minds. "Oh, I thought so."

"Okay, it's official..." Amy starts off and they look towards her. "Being a ninja with you guys is awesome."

Raph pushes a button and the three end up back in the butcher storage room. "April! I know how to get to the front!"

She gets out of hiding behind a pile of ice. "Great. What do we do with these guys?"

"What guys?" Leo asks in confusion and his question is answered when the two guardsmen appear behind their friend. The three stand in front of April to protect her. "Oh right, these guys."

"I thought you had a plan?" April glances up at Raph nervously.

"I'm working on it!"

His eyes turn red again. "Yes, great idea!" The other two exclaim in unison.

"Wait, wait, wait," April looks between them in confusion. "What? What? He didn't say anything!" She tugs at Amy's hair.

"It's a ninja mind meld. It's a thing we do now!"

With a few swipes, they get the two guardsmen into the air, smirking to each other. The turtles grab Amy's hands, spinning around in the air.

"Cowabunga!" They all shout, feet headed for their enemies. Together, the three kick them towards the door.

"SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT WE'RE DOING!" April screams while holding Amy's hand. They phase through the door, portaling all over the place. The train starts twisting around, but not because of them. Foot Lieutenant is playing around with the gravity settings, laughing. He didn't care if anyone got hurt as Mikey and Donnie are being flung in both directions.

"I'm...gonna...hurl..."

There's a blue flash and Raph grabs the villain. "Uh oh."

"Where is everybody?!" Foot Recruit shouts as Amy sneaks around and grabs her.

Foot Brute is still unconscious on the floor until he finally wakes up, four shadows looming over them. "Uh oh."

Raph grabs him and then they slip away, leaving them tied up. "Enjoy," Raph tells them as they're at the seminar. Foot Recruit growls at Amy, who shows only her middle finger before slipping away, leaving them shocked.

"And if you do that, you'll get a nice return at the end of the year."

"What is this nonsense? We need to get out of here!" Foot Lieutenant says loudly.

"Excuse me, I'm trying to talk about taxes."

"Taxes are boring!" He laughs and the mutant turns around sharply, eyes red and narrowed. Foot Recruit winces as the shadow stands over them, showing tentacles. They then get the beating of a lifetime, so much so that there's a small explosion.

Raph presses the same button he eyed before, April sliding to the floor again. Raph gasps sharply as they stare at the dark armor...finally in the room.

"Okay, how'd you know it was the black button?" April points to him accusingly.

"I paid attention to a small, but important detail," Raph rubs his chin. "It was the only button they didn't want me to press. Hey, I paid attention!"

"Wow, for once, they're the idiots, and we're the sane ones," Amy gestures to herself.

"I did not rely on my tech once!" Donnie smiles proudly.

"Raph, Ames, and I mind-melded!" Leo chimes in.

"Awesome!" Mikey cheers, pumping his fists. "We followed Master Splinter's teaching! We are-"

"The Hamato Clan!" They all congratulate themselves in unison.

"Are we?"

Their eyes widen in horror at the familiar voice. Amy shakes a little. "Daddy's little turtles and fake daughter all grown up."

Purple tentacles appear near their friend. "He must be so disappointed..."

"April!" Amy and Raph shout before she's snatched away by him.

"Raph!"

"No!"

The same vines come towards them and they try to dodge, but then they get grabbed, trapped in them.

"Good thing he'll never have to look at you again!" Baron Draxum steps out of the shadows, laughing as the train leaves and lightning strikes in the dark sky...


	46. End Game

**Angel: I don't know yet when I'll upload the next special (Cause I gotta watch it first before doing anything), but hopefully it won't take long to find...**

Splinter is pacing around in front of the Turtle Tank, as he hasn't heard anything from anyone. "No word, no contact...where are my kids?! If only I had a clue as to where they are..." A purple portal opens, dropping April right behind him. "Someone send me a clue! Anything!" April muffles to him behind her gag, falling onto the ground. "A hint, a whisper, a well-time crash!"

April crashes into some garbage and he looks behind the tank. "April!"

He places her against the wall and she tries to tell him something. "Don't worry. I will free you with my helping toe," He holds up his disgusting foot towards her mouth and she muffles in disgust. With his fingernail, he rips off the gag.

"Okay, first, ew. Second, WE'RE DOOMED! Draxum captured the guys!"

He gasps in horror. "My children..." The horror turns into anger as he grits his teeth.

"We says we have to give him the last piece of the dark armor or else! And he says _you_ have it!"

"What?" Splinter asks in confusion.

* * *

"How did we get captured?" Raph questions in one of the cells. Amy is in a bird cage slightly above them. "We did exactly what Pop taught us!"

"Maybe this is exactly what Dad wanted. Maybe this is our destiny!" Mikey says optimistically.

"Locked in a cage, failed in our mission, held for ransom by the Foot, and none of us gave him grandchildren?!" Leo exclaims, hugging his knees. "Somehow I think he wanted more."

"Maybe we didn't stay true to the Hamato ways," Raph sits up. "Dad taught us wisdom is within us. We just need to focus...meditate deeply...and our path will be revealed."

"Olm's law..." Donnie says slowly, getting looks from the others. "Sorry, could you guys hear that?"

"Yes actually," Amy calls out, shocking the others. "Up here."

They look over to Leo's side to see the brunette sitting in her prison. "You okay, Mellie?"

"I will be once we get out."

The turtles go back to their meditating.

* * *

"Another excellent idea of mine," Draxum is getting a massage from Foot Brute. "Bathing in the mystic energy will fill me with the strength to wield the dark armor. My legs are getting jealous."

He growls in annoyance of how they're being treated. "It's for the greater evil. The greater evil," Foot Lieutenant whispers to him. Soon enough, they won't have to listen to him anymore. Ever since he was made leader, he's acted arrogant. When their real leader returns...

He'll be demoted.

* * *

"They think I have a piece of the dark armor?" Splinter asks slowly in the kitchen of the lair. April is looking around for it in the cupboards while the rat is making himself tea with a weird-looking teapot.

"The Foot Lieutenant said it's the possession of Hamato Yoshi, last descendant of the Hamato Clan," She explains while throwing stuff away. "AKA Lou Jitsu, AKA you!"

"Oh, sure," He rolls his eyes. "I bet it's just lying around the house somewhere! Maybe it's this bacon press, this trivet, or my number one huggy pillow." She pushes him away and hears the teapot boiling, noticing something.

"Hey Splints...what about this freaky tea kettle?"

"You mean Old Skully?" He peeks over her shoulder. "No, he's been a delightful part of the Hamato family for generations. Isn't that right, Skully?" He turns around the teapot, which emits purple smoke. "Oh boy..."

The Shredder's face flashes briefly as he holds up the last piece. "I can't give the Foot the teapot. It will doom humanity!"

"But they have your sons and Amy!" April tells him.

"You're right. My family must come first. I'll give them the teapot!"

"But that will doom humanity!" She shrieks and he shouts in frustration.

"You are no help, April!"

"Well, this is a tough one!" She shouts back, crossing her arms and sitting on the floor. "Maybe there's an answer in those dusty old scrolls of yours."

"That is it!" He jumps and lands on her hair. "The scrolls will solve my dilemma! And whatever they tell us to do, it's not awful!"

They move to the living room where he opens up the scroll and they both bow. A green light flashes and reveals the ancestor.

"Hamato Yoshi. You are blessed with the glorious honor. You alone can keep the world safe from the dark armor. Your task is simple. Guard the final piece by remaining hidden for all time. Isolated, alone, a complete hermit. Enjoy this service to your clan!"

"Can I at least go out for fro-yo?" Splinter asks, holding up a cup.

"No!" He smacks away the treat.

"Okay, okay okay, fine. But...what about my children?" He questions in concern.

"They will be fine..."

"Oh thank goodness..." He takes a sip of his drink.

"The finest martyrs in the history of our clan," Splinter's eyes widen. "Destroyed by the Foot, their sacrifice will never be forgotten!"

He spits out the soda. "What?! No! Stupid scrolls! Why did I listen to you in the first place?" He starts shredding them. "We are not giving them the evil teapot. We are going to save my beloved children! We will need to assemble a well-oiled team of commandos!"

"I have just the guys!" April declares with a smile.

 **The B-Team**

 **A helicopter explodes and fire appears.**

 **Franken-Foot as Howlin' Mad Franken-Foot**

 **Bullhop takes off into a run.**

 **Bullhop as Mr. Suave**

 **Shelldon starts robbing a bank.**

 **Shelldon as Beep-Boop**

 **Bank robbers turn around to see Todd standing there with puppies.**

 **Todd as Nails Von Melee**

 **April gives a two-finger salute.**

 **April O'Neil as The Slugger**

 **Sunita explodes into goop.**

 **And Sunita as Slime Gal**

Together with Splinter, the B-Team is ready. "Let's get my boys!" The rat declares, wearing his Lou Jitsu outfit. "Hot soup!" He stands in front of a wall and uses the same watch that the turtles broke when trying to rescue Amy and Mayhem. He draws the symbol and the door opens. Then he jumps inside to go through the portal.

* * *

"Hum..." Raph murmurs to himself. "Happy place. Happy place."

His eyes suddenly open and inside his mind, he's a falling star. He crashes into a forest, where someone is waiting for him.

"Raphael..." He looks up to see someone in a robe. "You are stuck in a cage."

Raph sees that his body actually is a cage. "Help me get out of here, Sensei! Show me the Hamato way!"

Splinter just chuckles as he stands underneath a cloud storm forming. "The path to the end is not the end of the path."

"Okay..." Raph says in understanding as Splinter carries him up a mountain. "What you're saying is...uh, what are you saying?"

He drops the cage onto a seat, sitting across from him. "Focus. Not on my words, but rather words not on my focus."

"Okay, that was just the same thing backwards. Is this supposed to teach me something?"

"I cannot teach you. You can only learn what you already know," Splinter tells the turtle as he flies away.

"That makes no sense!"

A whale opens up its mouth and swallows him up.

Amy is writing down a recipe for chocolate and vanilla swirl cupcakes, something she's never done, but she could pull it off. She couldn't wait to see how it turned out...hopefully good, her reputation was on the line. She knew it was stupid that she was doing it while being a hostage, but it helps her think.

A small pst from below interrupts her focus and she glances down to see Leo. She rolls her eyes in amusement and peeks out from the bars of the cage.

"Can I help you, Leonardo?"

"Uh oh," He places a hand on his plastron in fake fear. "Full name. Am I gonna be sent to mystic prison?!"

She giggles a bit, shaking her head. Even when the situation is dire like right now, he could never fail at making her laugh. "What are you doing?"

"Comforting you, what does it look like I'm doing?" He holds out his hand and she looks down at her current attire.

"Um, dressed like this? How would you even get out anyway?"

"You look beautiful even in a plastic bag, and I can slip through the bars. Too bad I can't pick locks," He waves it off, about to grab her hand, but she recoils it back.

"Maybe we should wait until we're alone..."

"Oh come on," He holds his head up in the air in exasperation. "Don't you trust me?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Come on! …I need you…I don't even care right now If they know." She pauses before giving him a slight nod. He grabs her hand and pulls himself towards the cage. Before she can even get a word in, Leo reaches out towards her bow, slipping it right off and revealing her long hair. "I prefer it down."

A blush comes to her face. "Leo...I don't know about this..."

"It'll be fine," He places his hands on her shoulders. "We're gonna get out of here! I promise."

"Well…I believe you," She smiles softly and he returns the sentiment.

"How are you doing, Ames?" He whispers quietly, glancing at his brothers who are still meditating.

"I don't know to answer that truthfully without crying," She murmurs, closing her eyes. He stares at her and cups her cheek, causing her to open them. He suddenly grabs the bars and slams his head against them on 'accident.'

She cringes, but can't help laughing a bit. Leo looks up at her and grins at her laugh. He purposely did that to hear it. It hurt, but it was worth it.

"Sorry for laughing, but I couldn't help it," She chuckles, placing down her sketchbook. When she stands up, she sees Leo staring right at her.

"Don't move," He murmurs and she stares right into his eyes. Leo slowly moves his arms, his hands finding her waist. She holds in a breath as she remembers this feeling all too well.

Temptation.

She inhales, moving her eyes to her feet instead. Her chest is heaving as she finds herself incredibly nervous all of a sudden.

"Leo…I-"

"Ames," She hears him whisper, "Look at me."

She does so, only to be met with soft, warm lips falling upon hers. It may be because they're technically alone, or maybe because of the hostage situation, but everything else was meaningless in comparison to the kiss. Neither of them didn't know when they'd have a chance like this again.

A deep groan sounds from his throat, sending a tingle down her spine. His mouth slides off, only to give her soft, fervent kisses.

"Leo..." His name falls off her lips quietly, the girl tugging at his mask tails.

With a decisive breath, he steps inside the cage, pressing her back to the bars. He brings his mouth to hers again. His hands run up her arms, brushing lightly at her shoulders and to her cheeks as he slowly rubs his thumbs against them. They kiss passionately, exploring, tasting, passion surging through their bodies.

They break away at the same time, pressing their foreheads together and letting the only sound between be their slow breathing. Blushes are on their faces at what just happened. Both of their eyes are half-lidded.

"That was...something," She lets herself take a gulp.

"I can't help myself when I'm around you," He murmurs, staring deeply into her eyes.

"...Ditto," She smiles a bit. "You're not scared of me with my ninja side?"

"Ha ha! I'm scared of who is gonna be on the other side of you," He cups her cheeks. "I could never be scared of you."

"Or me towards you…"

He grins giddily, pulling her against him and connecting their lips again. Amy smiles, snaking her arms around his neck. He hugs her waist, holding her up in the air slightly. All they really needed right now was each other.

"We're so messed up," Leo heaves a sigh once they've stopped. A turtle and a human girl dating. It sounded better in his head than out loud. They couldn't be anymore different in all kinds of ways, and yet here they are.

"I'd rather be messed up than to be like everyone else," Amy closes her eyes, knowing what he's referring to. "We're unorthodox, but we work, Leo. I don't think there's any other way to summarize it."

"I don't know how to say this because I've honestly never felt this way before," Leo looks towards the ground, Amy just staring at him. "But I need to tell you that I...well..." He rubs his neck, trying to make the words come out. "When I first met you, I was charming, suave-"

"Is there a point to this?" She interrupts. Really, the last thing she wanted to hear was bragging.

"But then...I became something more. We became something more. You're the smartest, generous, and prettiest girl I have ever met. And you're worth 100 percent. Anybody would be lucky to have you, and I'm glad it's me. Even though sometimes I don't deserve it."

"Well...you have grown. Especially on me." She smiles, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I love you."

Amy pauses as he takes a deep breath, glad that it was finally out there. "You know that, right?"

"...I love you too," She whispers softly, kissing the top of his shoulder. He smiles at her affection and feels like he can finally ask her. He stands up, confusing her as he paces around behind her. She can already tell that something was on his mind. She just hoped it was something good.

"You know, I was thinking..."

"Never a good sign," She rolls her eyes playfully and he scoffs at her.

"I have good plans!"

She giggles at his pouty face and he takes a deep breath, feeling a little bit at ease. Everything could change after this moment. "What if we were officially together?"

"Then we'd be together," She stares up at him in confusion, they were always spending time together, so that was normal.

"Well, what if we were together in a different way?" He stares at her to try and get her to understand the question.

"What other way is there? We're always at home, or at the lair, or on a date together," She blinks and he rolls his eyes. She wasn't getting the point of this.

"What if we're boyfriend and girlfriend and you understand what I'm saying?"

Her mouth drops at the question, looking away. All this time, she had been wondering if she could really go down that path, but...with Leo, she gets to live her own life. She's not stuck with responsibilities, and it felt nice to let loose with him. They could talk for hours, and he understands her like no one else does. She didn't need to question anything with him...most of the time, anyway. Amy felt like she could really be herself when she's with him...

Even though it's only been a few months…she didn't care about that. She really feels a connection with him.

She looks up at him as he's surprisingly patient, offering a small smile. "I want more than casual. I wanna lie next to you every morning, have you in my arms, and...I don't want to let you go."

She slowly beams at him. "Yes, yes, yes!" He grabs her into a hug, lifting her off her feet. She laughs as her legs are to his chest. He's so happy that he smothers her face in kisses.

Finally.

Finally he can call her his.

"Let me explain!" She giggles and he puts her down gently. "I do want to be with you…over time, I realized how much you changed me, Leo. I had walls built up for years, and I was scared of being lonely again…but you shattered them. I know how to express my feelings now, and I feel differently, but I like it. You give my gray world color, and…I'll never forget that."

Leo hugs her waist and tilts her chin so she could stare into his eyes. "Ames…I'll never hurt you, and I'll do anything I can to heal your broken heart. It's okay to feel different, but don't change who you are completely. You're perfect and I don't want you any other way. Just being you pleases me."

"You're so cheesy, oh my god," She pushes him away slightly, giggling as her face is red.

"I speak the truth!"

But there was still one more thing to address.

"Dove?" He asks gently.

"Yes?" She laughs happily.

"If we're together now...How are we gonna tell the others?"

She sighs slowly at his question as her smile fades, facepalming.

"Cripes."

They hear Raph stirring and he reluctantly lets go. He didn't feel comfortable leaving her alone in here, especially when she's been dealing with a lot more than a 15-year-old girl should.

"I don't have a choice, do I?"

"No…they'll get suspicious. More than usual actually with the whole serious thing."

He pecks her lips and slips past the bars, the girl sighing. It's great that they're together…

Now they just had to somehow break the news…

Raph falls onto his back after waking up. "That...was useless!"

"I gotta say, I'm not feeling this Hamato Clan stuff at all," Leo chimes in.

"Me neither!"

"Yeah, no one is, but Papa will chew his tail off if we don't stick to the rulebook," Donnie opens an eye.

"Well look where the rulebook landed us!" Raph shouts, standing up and gesturing to their situation. "I say we ditch this Hamato jazz and be ourselves."

"Yeah!" The other turtles cheer, Donnie and Mikey high-fiving.

"We be we, baby!"

"Guys..." They look up towards Amy as she looks away, gripping the bars. "I'm sorry I got angry with you. I shouldn't have told you to change, and it got us into this mess..."

"We forgive you. You just want to avenge your family," Raph shrugs at her. "But hey, don't change too much, Mellie."

"I won't," She chuckles at him.

"So what are you gonna do, boss man?" Leo asks him and he takes a moment to think.

"I'm smashing us out!" He punches at the cage, opening up a hole for them to get out through.

"Wait a second! You could've done that the whole time?" Leo questions as Donnie and Mikey are just standing there in shock, eyes wide. Raph jumps and lands in front of the birdcage, gripping the bars with his strength. He rips the door out of its hinges, Amy's mouth going into an O shape.

* * *

"Okay, B-Team," Splinter starts off. They're kneeling in front of a castle. "Here's the plan to get my children. Shelldon quietly drops Frankenfoot over the wall to provide a distraction. With the Foot distracted, Bullhop creates an opening with his massive pectoral energy. Inside, April springs the gate for the Todd Squad and Sunita. Once the hounds sniff out the boys and Sunita takes care of the guards, I ninja them out and we're home free! Any questions? No? Then let's move!"

Everyone except April moves to the right. "Oh, and watch for any-" A snap is heard, leaving the B-Team in a net. "Traps..." He pinches his nose with a slight groan. "Okay, new plan. We each take out 300 ninjas."

"We'll be back for you!" April calls out, following after the rat.

The five burst through a wooden door, looking up at the very tall staircase in front of him. "Based on my knowledge of climatic finishes, the dark armor's got to be up there!"

April and Splinter slide to a stop in front of the ninjas, Foot Lieutenant, and Foot Brute. "Get them!"

The ninjas jump towards the duo. "There's too many of 'em, man!"

"Let us see how they fare against my patented Macho Gazpacho Fury Kick!" He leaps into the air and hits all of them very quickly, causing an explosion. The two Foot members can only stare in awe.

"Whoa...the Macho Gazpacho Fury Kick..."

There's actually tears in Foot Lieutenant's eyes. "Mesmerizing to see it in person-"

Splinter kicks them both in the face, sending them flying. He lands on their backs, his sunglasses shining. Suddenly there's smoke and he stomps his foot to get rid of the fire. "Now...where was I?" He glares up at the mutant alchemist himself, who's sitting right in front of the dark armor.

"Ah, the great Lou Jitsu. I guess the camera adds 5 feet."

Huginn and Munnin giggle. "Burn~!"

"I am here for my children. You will release them to me immediately!"

"That won't be happening...unless you're here to give me what I want."

He clenches a fist at the demand. He stomps his foot, the defeated Foots' weapons falling into his hands. Splinter jumps off them and heads for Draxum, who creates the purple vines. He leaps out of the way from them, getting up the staircase until completely disappearing from Draxum's eyesight. The alchemist looks around in shock before the rat appears right behind him, spinning around. Draxum makes his purple arms appear, dodging the weapons. He slides and flings them off, the two clashing weapons briefly.

Splinter grabs his leg with his tail and throws him away. Draxum lands safely and Splinter jumps up, only to be grabbed by a vine and thrown violently. He lands on his feet, the villain aiming the purple vines again. The rat rolls away, spinning and throwing both weapons. They're easily caught by the vines, but Splinter kicks him in the stomach. Draxum tries to land a hit, and his opponent twirls around, flinging his tail at him and missing. They both glare at each other and Draxum spins around for a kick. Splinter dodges it swiftly and punches him in the gut.

"Hot soup!"

Draxum lands at his throne, groaning. "Very impressive...I see you still have that warrior spirit. Too bad I can't say the same for your sons!"

"No more games," Splinter narrows his eyes.

"They must be so frightened...trapped, alone, in a place where you'll never find them." He drops a bag and it opens to reveal all five weapons. "And without their weapons..."

Splinter eyes Leo's sword, horrified at what they must be going through. He takes the sword silently. "We can do this two ways. You can give me the final piece now, or I can torture your sons and the girl until they tell me where it is!"

He can see the smiles from the reflection, even Donnie's. "Make your choice..."

He narrows his eyes and stands up, pointing the sword at Draxum. The mutant sheep stares in confusion, wondering what the rat would do...and what he does is point the sword to the right, and create a portal. "Wait, Splints, what are you doing?!" April calls out as he takes the teapot from the portal.

"I'm sorry, April...they are my children."

The five suddenly appear after getting rid of the ninjas, running up the stairs and stopping to see the exchange. "Dad?" Raph asks happily while Leo smiles. He hears the voice and turns around to see them.

"My children!" He then realizes what he just did, looking towards Draxum to see the teapot.

"The final piece of the dark armor?!" Raph screeches, Amy covering her mouth.

"...No...he didn't..."

"No!" Splinter rushes to stop him, but it's too late as the face connects to the helmet. There's suddenly a red glow as the blast pushes Splinter to April. Draxum looks up to see the completed armor on fire, the chest plate opening up. April helps up the rat and they look on in horror. Leo hugs Amy close as Draxum laughs at them, taking control of the dark armor. The metal pieces take their place on his body, Foot Brute and Foot Lieutenant watching proudly. Draxum lets out a yell at all the power he now possesses, the jaw from the face taking hold. The mouth closes, to reveal the face of the Shredder...

 _Hidden City_

 _Some time ago..._

" _The human threat draws ever closer. If we do not take action, the Hidden City itself will be at risk!" Draxum warned the Yokai Council. A clay-like face appeared in front of him with a whoosh._

" _We're tired of arguing about this, Draxum! The prophecy does not say that humans are our enemies!"_

" _It predicts the destruction of the yokai! The humans have already driven us underground. If I can only change the rest by-"_

" _NO!" The councilor shouted, "Your experiments are an offense against our very own nature! You will cease all actions immediately! And what do you mean by rest?"_

" _I plan to use this girl," He held up a picture of who used to be Alina Santiago. "As a way to destroy her own kind and then she will be my pupil. I've already cause her mother to never remember her and killed her brother and sister-"_

" _YOU WHAT?!"_

" _This is exactly what happens when you allow warriors to mess around in alchemy," The female councilor stated, to Draxum's ire. "You had no right to decide the life of a family!"_

" _Fools!" He jumped off the staircase and stormed off._

" _I don't trust that one...Agent 64."_

 _The agent teleported in front of them, revealing himself as Mayhem. "Keep an eye on him. He's dangerous. But whenever you can...please check on the life on that young lady." Mayhem just stared at him. "Oh, would you like a treat?" A bone appeared in front of the mutant. "Who's a good boy?"_

 _He eagerly took the bone and teleported away._

" _Buffoons..." Draxum growled as he left. "They will not stop the humans, I'll do it myself."_

 _Now_

"Starting today! At last, I can end the human threat once and for all!" He declares as purple flames surround him.

"Not if we have anything to say!" Raph leaps into the air and tries to punch him, but he simply flicks Raph away like a bug and he lands on top of the others. Draxum lifts himself into the air, laughing. With his sharp claws, he grabs two pillars and they slice off.

"Okay, quick question. Was he always strong enough to do that?!" Leo exclaims as they look up in surprise. Draxum flings the pillars around so that they hit all of them.

"I have never felt anything like this! Sheer exhilaration! The intense energy! Focus of power!"

"And perfectly tailored," Huginn chimes in.

"Yeah, somebody got a celebrity villain make-over," Muninn compliments, hands on his hips. Draxum punches them away. "Ow!"

"Master Shredder," Foot Brute speaks up as he and Foot Lieutenant are bowing to him. "We await your orders."

"Shredder?" Draxum asks in confusion. "I'm not Shredder. I am Baron Draxum! With this armor, do you know what I will do to the humans?"

"Uhhh...shred them?" Foot Brute replies with a nervous smile.

"No!" He slaps the man across his face. "What's with you and all the shredding? I will destroy them, like I did with the girl's siblings!" Metal surrounds him, turning into a drill. He goes up to the surface and the drill goes through it, the ceiling crumbling around them.

"This isn't what the legends foretold!" Foot Lieutenant looks to where he left. "Something's gone wrong."

They both leave through a portal, leaving the whole place a mess. Raph sticks his head out first. "Guys, everybody okay?"

Everyone appears out of the rubble, Leo turning to Amy. She dusts off the marks on her outfit, sensing his stare and looking at him. They both smile softly to each other, glad that the other is okay. The others look around for Splinter, hearing a groan. Together, they lift up a large rock to find him lying there, bruised and clothes ripped.

"Dad?"

"My...children..." He says weakly.

"Dad!" Mikey cries out as they kneel.

"Dad, are you hurt?" Leo asks in concern.

"Of course I am hurt!" The rat shouts at them, some dirt landing on his face.

"We shall miss you father..." Donnie is holding a shovel he somehow got, preparing to bury his father. Amy whips around and smacks the end of the shovel into his face. "Ow!"

"I'm not 'rest in peace' hurt! I'm 'rest on the couch' hurt!"

"Dad..." Raph speaks up, everyone else turning to him. "We gotta apologize. We tried to follow the way of the Hamato Clan, but...it just didn't work for us."

"No, no," Splinter holds up a finger. "It is I who should apologize to you. The scrolls...were wrong. And I was wrong to make you follow them."

"So you're not mad at us?" Mikey asks, Amy placing a hand on his shoulder.

"No...it is not training, or rules, or tradition that makes you special. It is being yourselves. If I had faith in how special you each are...none of this would've happened."

"Aww..." Leo and Mikey say in unison, everyone crying.

"I don't normally feel things, but that one got through," Donnie covers his eyes with his hand.

"Amelia...I am truly sorry for what Draxum did to you. My daughter...there is more to you than your anger. You are kind, full of life, and loyal."

Amy sniffles, a hand to her heart as the tears fall down her face. "Thank you, Master Splinter..." They share a group hug and Splinter wiggles around, feeling squished.

"No! I just had my spine crushed!" He pulls out five masks and Amy's clothes. "Here. I brought you something." One of the masks is pink.

The turtles rip off their robes in unison, Amy taking her clothes and the mask. Leo slices the air as he takes his sword, Mikey flings around his weapon, Raph smashes the air with his tonfas, and Donnie spins around his staff. Amy backflips and takes her spear, landing next to Mikey, who's blowing some gum. It pops in his face and Splinter pumps up his fists.

"Now go, and be your awesome selves!"

Mayhem teleports in front of April, Chewbacon landing nearby. "Mayhem! Great!"

"Chewie," Amy bends down and he runs up to her, landing in her arms. He licks at Amy's face for good luck and she giggles.

"Okay, you guys stop the Baron, and we'll take care of Splinter! Bam!"

Amy places Chewbacon next to April, patting the top of his head. "I promise I'll be back. Stay with April, and help her with anything she needs," She pokes his nose and he oinks, saluting. Amy pats herself, realizing that she left her remote with the Tank. "Damn it!"

Donnie presses a button from his wrist computer, the drill appearing from the ground. "Whoa!"

"Alright!" Leo cheers as he pumps a fist. "Time to finally see what this baby can do!"

Donnie sighs as he walks up to the drill. "Again, the drill is in beta. But it does contain the back-up copies of all my tech," He grins as the drill opens up, revealing all his shells. Together, they fly towards the exit. "So what's our plan?"

"We don't have one cuz we're being ourselves!" Leo calls out, Amy hanging onto him.

"Just don't do any tricks," She warns the turtle as she grips his shoulders.

"But I gotta go at least one!" He tells her with a goofy smile and she gives him a half-lidded one.

"We be we, baby!" Mikey cheers as they fly near Donnie.

"That's how Mad Dogs roll! No plan!" Raph shouts and Donnie smiles, flying after them. No matter what the outcome of this was, he was glad that they're his family, and vise versa.

* * *

"It's a beautiful day here for that double header!" There's a baseball game going on, where there's a whole crowd of people. "Yeah, there's nothing like 8 hours of baseball to liven up your-"

Draxum's drill suddenly bursts through the grass, the country singer nearby throwing up into her hat. Draxum lands in the stadium everyone staring in confusion. He appears on the Jumbo screen. "This will do..."

He grabs the microphone, but holds it upside down. "Citizens, an ancient prophecy-" He sees the black end and the singer pats his shoulder.

"Hold the fuzzy part to your mouth, dear," She tells him kindly and he snatches it away, frightening her.

"Do not tell Baron Draxum how to use your mouth stick! Humans, an ancient prophecy speaks of a greater threat to my people and their way of life. And that threat is you. So without further ado, prepare for mass destruction!"

They just continue to stare as the fanfare sounds. Then everyone stands up and leaves the stadium. Draxum starts destroying everything, the people in the sound booth running away. They're suddenly blocked by Foot Brute and Foot Lieutenant.

"Draxum!" Hearing Mikey's voice, he looks to see the five arriving as they're in the sky. "We're sick of you messing with people kind!"

"You are going to face a brand new unit that is back to their old self!" Donnie shouts as they land a few feet away.

"I won't let you hurt anyone else the way you did to me," Amy grits her teeth at him.

"The teenage turtles who are ninjas and mutants, with their awesome friend!" Raph declares, causing Leo to look up at him.

"Really? Is that the best we've got? Because we have had so much time to think of a new way to say that."

They jump towards their opponent, who simply grabs Raph. "You were never a match for me." He slams Raph into the grass, hitting Leo and Mikey before trapping Donnie. The others jump up behind him. "You should've joined me when you had the chance!"

Three platforms appear in front of them, knocking the four away. "I don't understand," Foot Lieutenant watches the fight, still baffled on why Draxum's not Shredder, or at least the real one. "By this stage, he should've completed the transformation."

"There must be a flaw in the armor."

April, who had sneaked in with them, hears this. "A flaw..." She steps into the shadows and sneaks past all of the ninjas to type a message on the screen.

 _Guys, it's April (*^3^) 3_

Mikey is lifted into the air as he notices April's message. "Hey, look!" He kicks away at the metal arm near his foot.

"Guys, it's April," Raph starts reading it, "The armor has a fl..." The message stops there. "What does that mean?"

A claw grips his face and April had stopped typing because the others had noticed. "You again?" Foot Brute grabs the girl, lifting her up in the air. "What are you up to?"

Mayhem teleports Chewbacon and Splinter into the scene. "Hot soup!" They start beating them up and seconds later, all of them have been defeated. "Ooh, that is not a good back feel...get us out of here, doggy thingy!" He moves all of them away into the stands, landing on Splinter's stomach, while April lands in the field.

"April? Duck!" Leo calls out and she does so as he swings past her head.

"Guys, I was trying to tell you that the armor has a flaw!"

"So despite all this power, he's still not the greatest warrior scientist," Amy smirks smugly as she's dangling in the air.

"Ohh, that makes more sense," Mikey comments as he's dragged past her.

"So there's a flaw!" Raph narrowly flies past her. "But what?"

April steps back from a metal tentacle, which drops Donnie. "Hey, you guys remember the time...we were playing sports ball...and we couldn't find a ball..."

 _Raph took the teapot in his hands. "Donnie! Go long!"_

 _He threw it at them at rapid speed and they screamed in alarm. They tried to catch it, but the teapot smashed to bits, causing all of them to scream._

" _Boys, what is going on?" Splinter suddenly appeared. "And have any of you seen my teapot?"_

 _Leo quickly glued it back together. "Uhh, yeah dad, I'm sorry, it's uh...right...here?" He held up a nicely-looking teapot. "Here you go. One unscathed teapot!" Before he gave it to his father, he noticed that there was still one shard missing. They gasped at it._

" _There's a piece missing!"_

 _Since they were not able to find it, Mikey held up his Jupiter Jim figure and stuck it into the hole._

" _Thank you, honest boys."_

Donnie gasps, lifting down his goggles. "Could it be...?" As they're fighting Draxum, he scans the armor...to find the figure still stuck in the hole. "Yes! The Jupiter Jim action figure is the flaw!"

 _Convenient!_

"Oh," Splinter sits up from his spot. "So that's why my tea always tasted of plastic and evil!"

 _Wise-crack!_

"So if we could hit it, we could destroy the whole armor?" Mikey asks eagerly while still being flung around by Draxum.

"Well, that's how it all works in all your favorite sci-fi movies!" Leo calls out, both of them snapping their fingers.

 _Perfect reason for action!_

"Can we just do something?!" Amy shouts at the top of her lungs.

"Alright guys, what's our approach?" Donnie asks and they join him.

"Well, there's two choices: we launch a precision attack with pinpoint accuracy on a target that's impossibly small..." They eye Draxum as he approaches, the armor malfunctioning slightly. "Or...we do we!"

"Total chaos!" Mikey cheers from behind as Raph punches his fists.

"Jazz! I will recklessly keep him busy!" Donnie's staff turns into two rockets, pushing them forward.

"Yeah!"

Leo and Amy jump onto the sides, both of them grinning. "We be we, baby!"

"Hot soup!" Leo points forward and Amy smiles.

"Donnie, now!"

Donnie starts attacking furiously, Raph jumping into the air landing in the seats. "Power smash!" He starts breaking them with his mystic ability, Mikey flinging around objects with his whip.

"Power fun jitsu!"

Leo slides and swings his sword, the tornado of objects landing in his portal. "Oh ho yeah!" He jumps around and slips between Donnie and Draxum. A few portals appear, with the objects landing on the foe. Amy smirks and spins around, her weapon turning into a bazooka. She fires a few missiles at him and they all cheer.

"Oh, do the children wish to play?" Draxum asks ominously as the attack does not affect him. He creates several tentacles that take hold of all of them. One of them punches Amy in the face and she spins around, landing in the dirt with her face roughly. Leo tries to grab his sword with his mouth, but it flies over his body and lands nearby.

"Uh oh."

"You had so much promise, Amelia, but now I see how flawed you really are. I should've killed you along with your weak brother and sister years ago."

Her eyes widen slowly as she looks up, short of breath. How dare he talk about them like that after all he did?

"Hey! You don't know what you're talking about!" Leo shouts at him as she's lying there, panting slowly.

"Yeah, you murderer!" April points at him. Her breathing turns heavy as her hands are clammy.

"Amy?" Mikey notices her state.

"Is she okay?" Donnie stares at her as she grips the grass in her fist, shaking.

"Mellie, calm down. Think about Lucia and Marco," Raph tries to assure her.

"Hmm…are you angry about my methods? They were a sacrifice for your training. I thought you were useless with these turtles, but you…you can be more…"

She just chuckles darkly, electricity sparking from her body. This jerk had done so much emotional damage and for what? She never asked for this. Her siblings died for this crazy mutant's agenda within seconds.

And now she had to make him pay.

"You wanna see angry?" She growls, slowly standing up. Her entire hair turns blue, shocking everyone as it flies above her head, like blue flames almost.

"Ames…?"

She slowly turns around, her eyes turning pure blue.

"Watch this."

Draxum stares at her, but decides to ignore it, flinging a tentacle at her. She simply looks up and an electric bolt slices the tentacle in half. All of her friends open their mouths in shock. The girl slowly steps up to him, eyes narrowed. She holds out her hand and makes it into a fist, clouds forming above them. They spark with lightning and it hits Draxum, causing him to drop all four turtles. He swings another tentacle towards her head and she simply grabs it into her hand with no trouble at all.

"Ahh..." The turtles and April are slightly afraid.

"Could she always do that?" Raph asks them and they say nothing as they watch. Amy uses her eyes to blast another hit, this one touching the action figure hard.

"April O'Neil..." The African-American girl whispers, grabbing a stray ball and smacking it against her bat. The bolt combined with the ball pushes Draxum out of the armor and then Amy flings down her arm, causing an explosion. They're now covered in pink goo.

"What's going on? How did you defeat me? I feel...weak...life power...being drained."

He's forcibly slipped out of the armor, landing on front of the girl, who seems to be controlling the siphoning. He slowly withers in front of her.

"You're out!" April declares to him. She turns her head to Amy, who doesn't move or speak, her hair still flying and blue. "Amy? Amy?"

Leo lifts up his head, seeing her state and running to a stop in front of her. "Ames?" He waves a hand in front of her face.

No reaction.

"Mellie?" Raph steps up behind her and they all stare. It's like she's an empty shell all of a sudden.

"Big sis?" Mikey asks fearfully.

"Come on..." Donnie pleads slightly.

"Snap out of it, Ames."

Amy blinks and her eyes turn to normal. Holding in a gasp, she kneels to the ground, her hair turning back to brown and red.

"You okay, girl?" April bends down to her, hand on her back.

"Yeah..." She tucks a hair behind her ear.

"What was that?" Leo kneels next to her as well, helping her up.

"I..." She bites her lip. "I don't know! I guess I was just so furious...that happened."

"Well...we won!" The turtles and Amy all high-five. "I love it when having no plan comes together."

"Guys...we've learned a valuable lesson," Leo places an arm around Amy's shoulders to help her stand. "Irresponsibly breaking Splinter's teapot and not telling him is the smartest thing we've ever done! Well, most of it."

"And, we got our Jupiter Jim figure back!" Mikey holds up the figure that's covered in pink good. "What a sweet day! We be we, baby!"

Splinter lifts his head, seeing electricity sparking...and it wasn't Amy's. "Oh no..."

The sky suddenly turns a dark red, the lights going out. The armor comes to life and reforms. Smoke surrounds him and they all stare as it takes form.

"Yes...it's happening!" Foot Lieutenant says in glee, Foot Brute smiling widely. "His life force has been taken, just as what was foretold!"

Below and behold the Shredder standing right in front of the drained Draxum. He lifts up his head and lightning strikes, Draxum gasping lightly in horror.

"The Shredder lives!" Foot Lieutenant and Foot Brute bow to him.

"Long live the Shredder!"

 **Angel: I know, it seems a bit early for Leo and Amy to be a couple, because they started 'dating' in episode 33, but since they changed the amount of episodes, I didn't have a choice. If they had kept the episode number, I would've done a little bit more development with them.**


	47. Many Unhappy Returns

**Angel: Thank god, the last special in a row that I had to write. I have been writing too many half-hour specials at a time lately, but I'm finally done with them! Sorry for the late update, I had to work last night, and I had no time to continue writing this yesterday since I was so busy. Literally had no spare time until I got home (and someone even tried to scam me for a free meal at work!), and that was at almost 10 pm. Didn't finish this episode until about 1 am in the morning, so that's why I didn't bother uploading it until now.**

 **I have to work late on Saturday, and then I'm back at school for like another 2 weeks, so I really don't know what day I'll upload the next episodes. Both of them are apparently coming out on the same day, so whenever I do post those two, I will FINALLY upload the 2 episodes after those, and you guys know which ones I'm talking about!**

People are screaming in a panic as the sky is still red, lightning striking. Hair and masks fly as they stare at the Shredder himself...

"Stand strong!" Splinter orders the five and they grip their weapons with narrowed focused eyes. "The Shredder will show no mercy!"

"You have betrayed me?" Draxum asks the Foot, who are still bowing to their master. "But i thought we were partners!"

"Ha!" Foot Lieutenant lifts up his head. "That's what we wanted you to think! After we assembled the dark armor, we needed a being of mystic power to energize it, and bring the Shredder to life! The dark armor consumed your life force, and now it will destroy your body!"

A portal opens between the two groups and Foot Recruit rushes in. "Senseis! My fury is unbridled and ready fir-" She gasps sharply at the sight before her. "You resurrected the Shredder without me?!"

Draxum manages to create a tiny vine, which pulls him through the portal and he escapes. The Shredder steps forward, roaring at the group of heroes. "I wanna say I feel prepared, but chattering teeth won't let me!" Donnie looks down nervously at his legs.

"I can't believe it. Those annoying bastards got what they wanted," Amy glares at the sight of the demon.

"Shred, shred, shred, shred, shred, shred!" The three members of the Foot cheer behind their leader. Instead of targeting their enemies, he turns their attention on the three, who run away. "Don't shred! Don't shred!" He grabs Foot Lieutenant by the arm, Foot Brute by the head. He stomps on Foot Recruit, slamming the two in his hands repeatedly. Splinter looks on, prepared to fight. However, he notices that something is off.

"Such blind rage...and going after his own? That makes no sense."

"Thanks for doing the dirty work for us!" Leo calls out. "Big ups, Shreddy!"

"Not now, blue!" Splinter sends him a glare while Amy pinches her nose.

"What? I thought our nicknames might give us a nice rapport..." Leo rubs the back of his neck.

"Cowabunga!" The other three leap to face him, but Shredder knocks all of them down with one hit. Splinter and April stand in front of them.

"Back off! You don't scare me!"

Amy and Leo land nearby with their weapons ready. "Much," April cringes a little. Shredder runs up to them on all fours, screeching and jumping into the air. All of them stare up in shock before he flickers...and then just phases through Leo, disappearing.

"Huh?" Leo looks up at the sky, turning towards the Foot.

"Sooo...that was unexpected," Foot Lieutenant rubs his neck awkwardly.

"You fools!" Splinter points at them. "You have doomed all of humanity!"

"Have we?" Foot Brute asks, his comrades glancing at him. "No seriously, tell me. This has been very confusing."

"We must found out what went wrong. Back to the Foot Shack!" Foot Lieutenant opens up a portal and they just leave.

"Hey!" Raph calls out after them, but they're already gone. He sighs at this.

"Ooh, when I get my hands on them next time," Amy clenches a fist. No way was she going to allow them to get away with that the next time she laid eyes on them. How could they let Shredder be revived only for him to disappear, and then just leave like it's not their fault when it totally is?

* * *

The 7 walk down an alley in silence, contemplating what happened.

"Okay...what just happened there?" April breaks the silence. "I thought Shredder was an evil samurai dude! Not some raging animal!"

"Is he coming back? I vote never!" Mikey holds up a hand.

"I do not know if he is coming back," Splinter takes off one of his casts. "Whatever he or it was. That was _not_ the Shredder I have heard tales of."

"If that wasn't the real Shredder, then what could've happened to make him raging animal Shredder?" Amy couldn't help but wonder.

"I'm not so sure we can handle that guy..." Donnie murmurs hopelessly.

"What are you guys talking about?" Leo asks confidently. "We did great!"

"What fight were _you_ just in?" Raph retorts to him with crossed arms.

"The one where we made scrap metal run home to its toaster mommy? Wait, we gotta commemorate this," He takes a baseball shirt and marker, changing the team names to 'Mad Dogs 1, Shredder 0.' "One and o, baby!"

Everyone except Raph and Amy look at him in awe. "You declare victory too easily, blue!" Splinter scolds him. "Humanity has never seen anything so destructive! And you are making t-shirts?!" He smacks Leo in the face with his tail, causing Leo to fall onto the ground.

"Saved me and all the readers the trouble. Thanks Splinter," Amy smirks in amusement. Donnie's wrist beeps.

"Wow, one season later and I still got full battery," Donnie says in surprise at his wrist computer. "Nice. Oh, and segway, my police feed is going totally berserk. Something major seems to be going down."

* * *

At Albearto's, the same lightning appears in the sky. They storm in, shocked at the sight.

"Oh my muffins!" Donnie screeches as Shredder is tearing up the place, the kids screaming in fear. Honestly, with this being the third attack at this franchise, Amy is surprised that kids still go here for birthday parties.

"Ha ha ha! Gonna need to make a two and o t-shirt after this!" Leo grins, giving a two finger salute. Amy takes a deep breath, pinching her nose.

"Look out!" Splinter pushes him out of the way as Shredder lands where he was standing. The others try to get one hit on him, but the demon easily knocks them away like it was nothing. April winces at them, looking aver her shoulder to see the kids standing there.

"Hey kids! Let's sing Albearto's run to safety song! If a robot bear comes to life, or a mystic monster's causing you strife, run for the door lickety split!" She opens up the door, the screaming children running out of it. "And a 10 percent off your next visit! GO!"

Donnie leaps out of the way as Shredder destroys a claw machine, the toys falling out of it. "Oh, cheater!" Leo calls out. "Don't think we're letting you keep those!"

"Leo! Is this seriously what you're doing right now?!" Amy yells at him, slightly frustrated that he's done nothing to help. Her eyes go wide as she yelps, ducking an attack from Shredder.

"She's right, this is serious stuff, Leo! Will you share up a right flank already?!"

"What?" Leo replies back with a laugh. "Mid-battle banter's my thing, like how yours is saying words like flank, or how hers is being my lady! We got this, trust me."

Raph rolls his eyes, Amy saying nothing. A growl is heard and Leo ducks his head from being the Shredder's target. He leaps for the turtles, knocking them in various places. Amy slides to a stop in front of him, but he simply grabs her by the hair and throws her onto the floor. April gasps sharply as she sees her friends, standing in front of the glass door.

"Oh boy..." She murmurs in fear. Splinter stands in front of her.

"I will not allow you to harm humans, if it is the last thing I do!"

The Shredder raises a hand, Splinter whimpering and sweating. The same electricity flickers, with the demon disappearing yet again. He stands there in shock before sitting on the floor. "Oh...I really want my last thing to be eating rainbow sherbet...or maybe Amelia's triple chocolate cake..."

Raph stands up with a grunt. "Is he gone for good now?"

"Based on his two zip-zaps, I predict that baddie's gonna be back in fifteen minutes," Mikey crosses his arms confidently.

"Two data points?! You're hypothesizing with two data points?!" Donnie asks in disbelief. "Scoff!"

* * *

Precisely 15 minutes later, they find Shredder at the museum, where the police arrive, and they're immediately defeated by the demon, landing in a pile. Donnie looks at his wrist computer, where he had kept a timer since then.

"Whoa, 15 minutes. Scoff retracted."

They look up to see him looming over the 7, Mikey yelping. "This could be the end, fellas!" He hides his limbs in his shell.

"I wish I had spent more time with my TV..." Leo gives Splinter an incredulous look. "And maybe paid more attention to my Grandpa's stories about how to defeat the Shredder."

"You-!" Amy groans at his explanation, hanging her head. Leo takes a hold of her hand, staring at her. If this was really the end, at least he got to tell her his feelings beforehand...

The Shredder leaps towards them, but like the last two times, completely disappears. They stare at the empty space, baffled.

"I can't look, did we make it?" Mikey asks from inside his shell, the others either relieved or embarrassed. "No one's responding, I'm the only one who made it!"

"Nothing we throw at Shredder is working!" Raph grumbles in disdain.

"I don't know how much longer we can keep this up..." Donnie's spider shell dabs at his head. "He is crushing us!"

"Really?" Leo pops up nearby. "Because I thought my overall ninjolocy was totally working!"

"It wasn't," Raph deadpans at his statement.

"I'm sure it was about to..." Leo defends next to his brother.

"Okay, what do we got?" Raph asks the team, Mikey raising his hand. "Good ideas first." Mikey sinks back down.

"There may be one person who can help..." Splinter rubs his chin. "She is known for reigning in raging beasts...Big Mama."

"What?! She'll never help us!" Mikey exclaims at his father.

"Yeah, attempting to mutate me pretty much proved that," Amy speaks up. "We can't trust her."

"She'll help me! I'm the faceman," Leo gestures to himself. "People love me!"

"Mm," Amy slightly narrows her eyes at him for the statement.

"Last time you saw her, she tried to kill you," Donnie deadpans at his brother.

"Who hasn't?" Leo stands up. "Dad's idea is great. I'll go in there, turn up the Leo, and she'll be begging to help us."

"Now's not the time for smooshing, Leo," Raph stares at him in disapproval. "Or for splitting up the Mad Dogs! This is Shredder! We need all hands on deck!"

Leo opens up the portal anyway. "If Dad thinks Big Mama can help us, we gotta try. My lady, you're coming with me, I need my muse!"

"What?!" Splinter screeches as Amy stares at him, pinching her nose. She would be flattered, but the way he said that... "I need some time to think about-"

Leo kicks him into the portal, grabbing Amy's hand. "You can totally handle Shredder on your own. Trust me. You guys got this."

"Help me," Amy mouths to them before they both disappear. They glance at each other skeptically. If they didn't come back in time, they were doomed...were they really about to trust Leo, the wisecracking turtle, with this kind of job?

Leo, Amy, and Splinter land on a rooftop that faces the Grand Nexus Hotel. "So you knew Big Mama back in the day?" Leo suddenly asks, Splinter stammering in response.

"What I'm really wondering is why you failed to mention it to us," Amy raises a suspicious brow.

"We were just friends!" He shouts immediately, the two recoiling back. "I mean, uh, it will all be fine..." He chuckles nervously, starting to panic on the inside. "Just rat up and see her. How bad can that be? Okay, super awful, but come on! Tuck in your tail and let's go!"

Amy and Leo glance to each other, feeling that something's weird within his past with the villain...why would he act like that if they were 'just friends?'

They enter the hotel lobby, walking up to the fox bellhop standing in front of the elevator doors. Leo clears his throat. "Three to see Big Mama, we're totally on her schedule. Sweet whisker mustache, btw. Makes you look young, or old, whichever you're going for."

"Stop," Amy mutters, rubbing at her eyes.

He pulls a walkie talkie to his face. "Two tattered up mutants and a human to see you, Mum. A rat, one of them bleeding turtles, and Alina Santiago."

"Wait, how did you know my real-"

"Tell 'em to shove off," Big Mama says to him. Amy growls at this, clenching a fist with her eyes turning blue.

"She says to quote, shove off."

"Oh we heard," Amy's eyes turn back to normal.

Splinter sighs in defeat. There was only one way they were gonna get inside...no matter how embarrassing it was gonna sound. "Fine. Tell her...her smuggle muffin beef cake is here..." He blushes as he scratches his cheek.

"Gross," Amy stares at him weirdly. She had to remind herself to never let Leo call her something like that ever.

"Uhh, how do you know Big Mama again?" Leo asks him with confused eyes.

Splinter pulls them away to talk to them. "In addition to being a crime boss, Big Mama is also..." His cheeks turn pink as he leans in to whisper.

"Kind of...my ex..."

The two words take a few moments to sink in for the two.

"...WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" The two screech in unison, though the brunette's is more disgusted and shocked.

"You mean at some point you found her attractive?! Big Mama?! EW!"

"Believe me, I rue the day those 8 legs walked into my life," He drags a hand down his face, blushing still. "I met her in human form, on the set of Crouching Shrimp, Hidden Tiger Prawn. She was the pinkster who drove my trailer...it was love at first tiger punch. Oh, what a whirlwind. We hit all the disco techs: the exercise techs, the philly cheesesteak techs, panty suit techs. Big Mama and I were inseparable. Then, one night, dinner on the green, I was going to ask her to marry me! But instead of accepting my proposal, she revealed she was a giant spider, kidnapped me to the hidden city, and forced me to fight in the Battle Nexus. Not really the response I was looking for...in hindsight, I may have missed a few clues. Ahh, I do miss our pre-kidnapping times. I mean, how could anyone stay mad at those eyes, that smile, and those-"

"No, no, no, no, no lovey and/or dovey talk!" Leo would rather do anything than to hear this.

"This is so disgusting to hear..." Amy tugs at the ends of her hair. She couldn't believe that they not only dated, but he was gonna MARRY her?! No wonder why he never said anything about it; it's because hearing him talk about her is a living hell!

"Hey rat, Big Mama's got a message for you three," The fox interrupts them, pulling out three orbs and throwing them towards the trio.

"Probably her overdue apology..." The three orbs hit them, opening up a portal. It sucks the trio inside, where they're sent through a long pathway, landing on the ground. Their eyes widen as they hear cheering, looking over the edge...to see the Battle Nexus. A large monster roars as a scared opponent looks up. He's sent into the wall, falling onto the floor. The crowd interrupts in cheers as the monster roars. He breathes fire right onto someone, but it doesn't seem to faze him at all.

"The Battle Nexus?! Okay, no biggie. We got this, trust me," Leo smiles confidently.

"I DO NOT!" Splinter shouts in his ear. "You don't know Big Mama like I do! She's ruthless!"

"We already know that part!" Amy defends, gesturing to the Battle Nexus. "We know her to an extent."

The elevator doors open and they look over their shoulders to see Big Mama appearing herself. "Snuggle muffin beef cake? Where did you hear that naughty nickname, rat man?"

He narrows his eyes, grabbing her arm. He spins around and allows her to dip him like they did at all the clubs. "From you as we tangoed the night away, my sassy sugar badger."

The other couple gag at seeing this. "Okay, both of us have to swear to never say pet names like that," Leo whispers to her.

"Thoroughly agreed..."

"It is you!" She says in delight. "And more fetching than ever, my fuzzy cuddle lopicous!"

"I did not come for the trip down kidnapping lane. The Shredder is about to lay waste on New York!"

"Well let's have a look-see," She uses the same mirror that the Foot have to see the other turtles and April struggling to fight off the Shredder. "Oh, what a brute-y behemoth. By the look of it, his quantum energy is in flux. If I had to guess, I would say your raging beast is not tethered to this dimension. In other words, he's physically flopping back and forth, my haggy poo."

"I assume you have something to contain him?" He asks, another blush to his face.

"I do have a splendiforous mystic babble that you can have," She smiles as her assistant shows a hologram of a collar. "For a price..."

"And there it is..." Splinter rolls his eyes. "Always has to be something in it for her!"

"Hey, you're the one who wanted to marry her..." Amy murmurs, looking away.

"Prickly Petey losing his charm."

"Hey, hey, hey," Leo steps between them. "Water under the bridge. Big Mama, baby, let's talk Shredder. He's bad for us, bad for New York, bad for your yokai business in New York, so, if you got a solution, let's make a deal."

"Blue, don't! Nobody ever outsmarts her!" Splinter warns him.

"You really think that'll work?" Amy stares at her boyfriend skeptically.

"Relax. I got this," Leo whispers to them. "You know, I don't hear a lot of cheering. Business is not booming. What you need is a headliner! Someone to put butts in seats. Someone to take on your new champ. Someone like your old champ, in new form, Rat-Jitsu!"

"What?!" Splinter protests at this.

"Okay fine, let me sweeten the deal."

"But she didn't even say no to your first deal yet!" Splinter yells, holding his head.

"We can also throw in the woman of the hour, Alina Santiago, AKA Amelia Smith!"

"What?! Leo!" Amy shouts at him. "She's been gunning for me to fight in her Battle Nexus for months and you're just gonna offer me to her just like that?!"

"And they're gonna be fighting with no weapons!"

"But that beast has rat-crushing tentacles!" Leo is basically asking for them to get killed.

"We have a deal."

"WHAT?! Noooo!" The two shout in anguish.

"Yes!" Leo cheers, holding out his hand. "I'm not sure how this works, which hand do I shake?"

"What did I ever do to you, huh?!" Amy frowns angrily at him as the beast defeats another warrior, literally crushing him.

"Trust me, guys," Leo smiles, putting an arm around them. "We got this."

"I knew I should have brought Purple!" Splinter mutters under his breath.

"You believe me, right, my lady?" Leo asks smugly, only getting a glare from Amy in return, her arms crossed. He stares in confusion as he only gets that look when she's really mad. "What?"

* * *

At the docks, April pulls forward a lever from a crane. "Aprilll O'Neil!" The crane spins around as Raph is knocked down by Shredder, his brothers cringing at him.

"Man, I don't know how many more of Shredder's face I can take!"

"I can't believe we trusted Leo to get back here quickly!" Raph rubs his mouth. "Alright, here's the new plan," He draws up three spots, "Everyone, punch at a different place! Maybe we'll find a weak spot!"

Shredder's face pops in between the three, causing them to panic. "Uhh..." Donnie stammers and he slams the ground between them. They scream, scrambling away from the demon.

"Punch it out, Mad Dogs!" Raph declares and they punch at different points, one of them igniting something in Shredder. They slide away, eyes wide as the demon...suddenly chuckles. Mikey pops his head out of his shell.

"We found a tickle spot!" Mikey cheers as the others giggle.

"Mad Dogs, tickle!" They start tickling Shredder's leg.

"It's immobilizing him!"

"Keep it up until Leo, Mellie, and Pops get back!" Raph tells him as the Shredder keeps giggling.

* * *

Meanwhile, Splinter and Amy are annoyed. "What have you gotten us into...?" He frowns angrily as Leo is behind them, sipping a drink. The rat is getting his Lou Jitsu outfit tailored.

"What? This is one of my all-time great ideas! You both go out there, you wall up the champ, and we get what we need to defeat Shreddy."

"You have thrown us into the lion's den!" Splinter points up at him, Amy getting pricked by the needle.

"OW!"

Her outfit is a long-sleeved baby blue v-neck jumpsuit, with a white undershirt underneath. Her pants are baby blue tights and shoes, her hair in a French braid bun.

Leo looks towards the monster the two have to face. "I think it's more of a Kraken's den...?"

"You in that outfit," Big Mama steps up, "That takes me back...all those scrumptious victories..." She changes back into her human form. "Too bad this time...you will lose."

"Are you kidding me?! This is Lou Rat-Jitsu we're talking about!" He holds up the rat, gesturing to Amy. "Not to mention you have her in her Nexus just like you wanted! They could beat anybody!"

"Leonardo," Splinter says in a warning tone.

"Dude, shut up," Amy narrows her eyes.

"In fact, they could beat tons of anybodies at once!" Leo continues on, ignoring them.

"Stop talking!" Splinter keeps his glare.

"Leo, you really need to keep your mouth shut!" Amy points at him.

"Like your champ and those 6 guys!" He gestures to 6 really big, really mean furry Yokai with sharp teeth.

"Will you shut it already?!"

"We're already in this mess because of you!" Amy shouts at her boyfriend.

"In fact, we don't want this over too quickly. You should armor up those rookies. The whole she-bang. Especially with these pointy hats. Wow."

"I'm about to give you a whole she-bang right now if you don't stop," Amy clenches a fist.

"You have a deal."

"Oh, why did I ever trust you to handle this?" Splinter mutters as he watches them shake hands.

"...It's official. I'm gonna die today at 15 years old," Amy murmurs in disbelief.

"Can I talk to you?" Leo grabs Amy's arm and pulls her behind the mirror. "Okay, I know I'm risking a lot here, but...do you trust me?"

She had no idea how to even answer that. He is the reason why she's fighting, after all. He's never let her down in the past on purpose, but this was Big Mama here. Anything could happen, this plan just seems so risky...

Leo senses her hesitation, holding her cheeks. He stares at her right in the eye. "Do you trust me, Ames?"

"...Yes..." She murmurs, closing her eyes. "But I hope for both of us that this works..."

"Hey, you're my girl," He strokes her cheeks. "If you die first, I won't have anyone to bake for me anymore."

She snickers, knowing fully well that's not all she's good for with him. "And I wouldn't have anyone to make me laugh at a time where I should be mad at you."

He winces, but then smiles a little. "I have total trust in you." He presses his forehead to hers.

"Even though I pretty much couldn't control myself back there?" She opens her eyes, which look...actually guilty. "I...I don't know how it happened...I guess I just...couldn't handle that he tarnished my family like that and said that I deserve to die...maybe he's right..."

"No!" He says sharply, surprising her. "I know a lot of people who care about you and you're still important...to me too. I wouldn't care if you got rid of my Jupiter Jim merchandise, I would still love you. There is so much more to you than people think." She tears up at the last sentence and he wipes away one of the tears. "So just...trust me and my plan, okay? Please?"

"...Okay," She murmurs softly. "Thanks, Papi."

"Good luck kiss?" He puckers up his mouth and she rolls her eyes, leaning in and kissing him.

"At least the others would've taken it seriously!" Splinter mutters under his breath.

* * *

And yet they're tickling Shredder. "He likes it! Shredder likes it!"

Suddenly, fireworks go off nearby, getting the demon's attention. "The fireworks!" Mikey shouts as the turtles are panicking. "He's distracted by the fire!"

The fireworks are coming from a cruise ship, which Shredder lunges for. They continue tickling him, but it does nothing to prevent the demon from going over there.

"No!"

He runs like a wild animal. "Stop him before he gets to the people on the boat!" Raph rushes forward, Mikey spinning around his whip.

"I'm on it! Whip-o-rama!" He catches the back railing of another ship, knocking away a bird. He then somehow pulls it forward and it honks as it flies next to his brothers.

"That's amazing, Mikey!" Raph exclaims while jumping.

"Whoa..." Donnie's awe causes him to crash into a crate. The fireworks continue to go off, Shredder leaping past crates and shredding some of them. He jumps in the air and spins around, cutting crates into pieces. He gets inside a submarine, where it suddenly explodes due to Raph.

"Where do you think you're going?" Raph slides up to him using his mystic larger self, only to lose balance. He manages to slide to a stop. "Come and get it, Shred-face!"

They both charge towards each other. "Power punch ahoy!" He knocks Shredder down...or at least, he thought he did. "Uh oh." He sees the demon underneath the fist, but not defeated. He chuckles up at Raph before knocking him away. He lands back on the docks, a bo staff hitting him in the face. Donnie lands in front of him, spinning his weapon.

"All of my tech is standing by. And I mean...all of my tech," He places his staff on his shoulders proudly as all of his shells surround him, his drill appearing behind him. Shredder screeches, lunging forward. "Eat science!"

His shells fly off, but they have no effect as they break upon impact. "Sad face emoji!" Tears are in Donnie's eyes from seeing his things destroyed. He yelps as he turns around, trying to fly away but Shredder grabs his arm and throws him to the ground. He destroys his shell, the soft shell screaming as his handkerchief appears, the robot claw throwing it at Shredder's eyes. Immediately he thrashes around to try and get it off. "Ha ha! Meet the whirlwind of my hankie!"

Shredder gets it off and roars at Donnie, who screams again. A crate flies past him, hitting Shredder dead on.

"Why would you get a crane license, April?" She mocks what others said to her. "Because this!" She slams Shredder into a pile of crates. The crates surround him and Mikey smiles at his friend.

"Sweet craning, April!"

A crash is heard and Shredder bursts out of the pile with a screech. Mikey shakes nervously as his brothers are out of commission. "Raph, Donnie, no time to rest!" He slaps at them, but gets no response. He whimpers as the fireworks appear right above his head. Shredder leaps into the air and Mikey ducks, gasping as he sees the demon getting hit by the fireworks. This causes a large electric surge, yet the people on the ship are unfazed by it. The ship leaves and Mikey stands up, fire on the top of his head.

"What is taking Dad, Leo, and big sis so long?"

"Ow..." Donnie murmurs next to him.

"I knew splitting up the Mad Dogs was a bone-head idea," Raph cringes, holding his plastron. He looks up at the fireworks. "Leo probably talked his way straight into Big Mama's dungeon."

The sky flickers with Shredder's eyes...

* * *

Actually, Leo is being pampered by Big Mama's servants as he sips his cup near Big Mama. "Ooh! The arena has never been this woozy-fuddled!" She squeals at the full house.

"And now, entering the arena, the all-time winning Battle Nexus Champion. He's back, and even hairer than ever...Rat Jitsu! And with newcomer, Caliente Lucha!"

"He did not put in hot fighter for my name," She deadpans, facepalming. She wasn't even considering coming up with one...

"Dad! Dad, Daddy! My lady! Up here!" He's wearing a Lou Jitsu outfit.

Splinter turns around, twitching in anger. "Can someone please tell my son I am not talking to him?!"

"You got this, guys!" He blows a kiss towards them. "I love you."

The rat slaps away the heart flying towards the two. "No!"

"Remember," Leo sits back in his seat. "A deal's a deal."

"Of course! Big Mama never goes back on a deal. She does, however, alter the terms at the very last second," She narrows her eyes.

"I'm sorry?" He asks, his cup being smacked out of his hand. He's suddenly tackled by the guards, his sword left lying on the floor before it's snatched. "Not my odachi!"

"One last alteration," She turns into her spider form. "You'll be fighting alongside your papa and your little girlfriend. But...you still get my babble if you win."

"S-She's not my girlfriend," Leo stammers, looking away nervously.

"Oh please, it was obvious. Ah...reminds me of my love with my snuggle muffin beef cake..."

"An out of nowhere betrayal?" Leo asks in shock as a trap door opens, the turtle falling through it. He suddenly appears between his father and his girlfriend.

"Oh, the old last second trap door betrayal?" Splinter questions knowingly.

"Ha! Karma," Amy points to him.

"Please," He sits up with a confident smile. "This was my plan all along."

"So, it was your plan to go to Big Mama, use us as pawns in her Battle Nexus, only for her to betray you and now we're gonna die?" The brunette raises a slightly skeptic brow at him.

"Just admit it already, son. You were played," Splinter replies back.

"How come nobody trusts me?" He stands up and Amy stays silent. "None of you guys have any faith in me, why?"

"Leo..." Amy murmurs, placing a hand on his arm. She didn't mean to hurt his feelings like that...

"Uh, maybe this whole situation?!" Splinter moves his head over to all the monsters they have to face, three against six.

"This whole situation was my plan all along!" Leo gestures to himself. "If it wasn't, then why'd I ask your tailor to make me this outfit?"

"So we could all perish while looking super fly?" The rat asks in confusion.

"Or, so I could sneak this baby in," He holds up one of the portal devices, activating it to Big Mama's surprise. Another portal opens near Leo's sword and he snatches it back, while knocking a cup of tea out of a butler's hands. "To sneak this baby in! My deal was no weapons for you, not me."

"Oh, big whoop," Big Mama waves it off. "They're still no match for Kraken and Evil 6."

The 6 charge towards the trio.

"Oh ho boy!" Leo hollers, sliding forward and creating two portals. He ducks his head from a mace, jumping up and preparing another portal for one of the yokai to go through. He dodges another's attack, sipping around and making two portals. He tilts the one in front of him so that the yokai goes towards the Kraken, who smacks it out of the way. "If you would do the honors, guys."

"You kidding?! I'm not strong enough to fight that thing," Amy frowns towards the monster.

"Yes you are! I believe in you, my lady! Oh wait...I know! You have just the thing!" He holds up a photo of Chewbacon. "This has been a long time coming. Hey Ames, do you mind if we make him into breakfast when we get back?"

She growls, her eyes glowing blue as she clenches a fist. "Stop it."

"How about crispy? Ooh, maple! We feeling some maple? Either way, he'll look good with some scrambled eggs!"

"Leo..." She grunts, her hair turning blue.

"Hmm, should we butcher him when he's alive or dead?" Leo rubs his chin. Amy lets out an angered yell, Leo making a portal in front of him as she and Splinter lunge forward. They end up behind three of the six yokai.

"Hot soup!"

Amy makes her hands emit electricity as they both defeat them with ease. "Ha ha! Still got it!"

The Kraken behind them roars, Leo kicking a helmet into his hand. "Now grab the helmets, Daddy-o!"

"Is this one of those moments I'm supposed to trust you?" Splinter wonders while holding a helmet. Leo appears next to his father from a portal.

"Bingo," He takes the one in his hands and throws them into another portal. "Time to get Krak-ing! Ames, now!"

Amy lunges forward, Leo grinning next to her as he dodges the tentacles. He's thrown into the air as Amy immobilizes the monster by electrocuting it. Leo creates the portal that slams the helmets onto the Kraken, getting it stuck. "Superhero landing!"

His girlfriend breaks out of her trance, gasping and landing on the floor. "One more helmet!" Leo places a helmet on Splinter.

"Wait, what?" He asks in alarm as Leo teleports him into the air. "Can we try a new plaaaan?!"

"Yeah!" Leo cheers as it hits the Kraken, defeating him.

"Wow...I can't believe we pulled that off," Amy murmurs as the turtle helps her stand up, impressed that it actually worked.

"Told you that you can trust me!" Leo grins widely.

"Leo, I trusted you all along. Well, not a full 100 percent since you did put in the Battle Nexus in the first place." He gives her an accusing, unamused look and she holds up her hands. "But there was still some there!"

"Oh ho ho ho, it's a knock-out folks!" The announcer booms as the crowd grows wild.

"They love you, guys!" Leo smiles, holding up Amy's arm in victory.

"It was all you, my son!" Splinter grins proudly. Big Mama suddenly lands behind them.

"Silence!"

"Just the spider I was coming to gloat to," Leo smirks smugly, a protective arm around Amy in case she tried something else.

"I'm not one to be huddle-balooed, my turtle-boo," She leans back, clasping her hands. Amy grits her teeth at her. "Well done...and now, a deal's a deal. And as a sign of respect, I shall return the Shredder beast to his prison dimension if you catch him," She hands Leo the object.

"Sweet~ Come on, guys, let's jet!"

* * *

Thunder strikes as it starts to rain back in New York. All hope seems lost for them...how would they ever catch the demon if he keeps running around like this? "After entering Shredder's previous coordinates on the XYZ and D, for Donnie, axis...I have calculated that this is the site of our final resting spot...I mean, go team."

Blue electricity sparkles in front of them and they yelp, thinking that Shredder's somehow tracked them down.

"Oh my offense!"

However, it's just Splinter, Leo, and Amy. "You love us, you missed us, we're back, baby!" Leo holds up the collar. "Lou Jitsu, Blue, and Caliente Lucha saving the day!"

"It's about time!" Raph points at them. "We've been getting our butts kicked after you left us high and dry!"

"Umm, Raph, we always get our butts kicked," Amy raises a brow at him.

"High and dry? Come on, dudes," Leo spins the collar around his finger. "When I said you got this, I meant that. Look, I bet the only reason we're here right now is cause Donnie inputed coordinates of blah, blah, blah, Mikey razzed his tazz, April finally used her crane license, and Raph is gonna put it all together in a plan to defeat that lead-head with this mystic collar."

"Wow Leo, that's remarkably accurate," Raph glances away weirdly, wondering if Leo's been switched with an alien."

A large electric surge appears in the sky and they turn towards Amy. "Not me."

"He's back..."

The Shredder suddenly appears right in front of them, roaring. "Prepare for Operation Fire-Hickey-Tickey-Toller!"

"Yeah!" Leo leaps forward, only for Raph to grab his arm.

"Leo...are you sure you can get that on him?"

Leo turns to him with a determined look. "Trust me."

"I do," Raph smiles and lets him go. Shredder starts tearing up the streets. "Your move, Mikey! Flame on!"

Mikey flings his whip, turning into the fire ball. "Donnie, the hanky!"

"Donnie's on it!" He stands in front of Mikey fearfully. "One small step for turtle kind!" His handkerchief covers Shredder's eyes, who jumps over them trying to get it off. Raph slides behind him, activating his mystic power. "Boom! Power tickle jitsu!"

He and the red arms tickle at Shredder, who starts laughing to Amy's disbelief. "Guys, now!"

Leo jumps into the air with Amy and they both put the collar around Shredder's neck. A giant burst of wind happens as the Shredder sits there lifeless, unable to move. Splinter hugs Leo as the others cheer. "My son...they will write scrolls about this one day!"

"Oh I'm sure they will," A voice speaks up, six red eyes in the shadows. This confuses them as Big Mama's boots clack in the alley. She's immediately surrounded by her minions in front of the portal she created to follow them. "Perfectly phasma-goric. You turtles are not to be trifled with."

"One tamed, no longer fazing scrap metal psycho ready for disposal," Leo gestures to Shredder.

"You did your part, so I will do mine," She smiles as her assistant appears next to her. He or she holds a grey skull-like object, throwing it. Leo ducks as it hits Shredder, lifting into the air and separating into a portal. It grabs Shredder, to their shock, and takes him away. It also turns the sky back to normal.

"Bam! Back in prison dimension, never to be seen from again!"

"Whoo!" April hollers as they all pose. "Epic three days of non-stop fighting!"

Then everyone but Amy and Splinter fall down in exhaustion.

"I'll help you get them to the lair, Splinter..." Amy glances towards Big Mama. "I won't say thank you for helping us, and I won't say sorry for calling you a bitch either at that demolition derby, but...you know. We appreciate it..." She gags at saying this out loud to an enemy.

"I wish I could say it was a pleasure to see you again..." He leans in towards the woman. "My sassy sugar badger."

"Oh, gross!" Amy shouts in disgust at hearing this again. Big Mama actually blushes and then he jumps, pushing the others into the manhole.

"You fought valiantly, my huggy-poo. "You really forced Big Mama to own up to her own deal...even if she altered the terms at the last second."

Big Mama giggles and then disappears, two girls walking past the alley that she and her minions left. One of them is a redhead with waist-length hair, wearing a red spaghetti tank top, blue jeans, and white sneakers. She's a fair-skinned teenage girl at about 5'2 tall with brown eyes, also wearing a camouflage bomber jacket. She glances over to her Caucasian friend, who is a blonde at 5'1 inches tall. Her hair is blonde ombre, shoulder length with curly ends. Her eyes are blue. Her outfit is a yellow sundress with white lilies all over it, her shoes black wedge pumps.

"Are you sure it's as good as they say?" The redhead asks skeptically as they look at a flyer.

"Of course it is, Ann! My mom had some muffins delivered to our house once and they were AMAZING!" The girl cheers, pumping her fists. "And you know how I get with food!"

"Unfortunately," The redhead rolls her eyes. Her friend Lily looks at a flyer for Smith's Sweets...

* * *

Amy carries Leo to his bed, which is luckily on the lower level or she'd most likely have to use a forklift...for some reason today, he's very heavy. It might because of all the fighting they did for the past few days, which was mentally and physically exhausting.

She places him down gently, tucking him in his blanket. The girl leans down and kisses his forehead, turning around to leave. Suddenly, she's tugged back by a sleepy Leo.

"Nooo..." He whines as he holds her arm. "Don't go..."

She chuckles at how childish he sounds, bending down to look at his face. "I have to check on my mom, Papi. It's been 3 days. If I don't know how she is by tomorrow, I'm gonna lose my mind."

"Oh, I called ahead." She stares at him as he holds up his phone, showing all the calls he's made to her mother's house. "She's been asleep most of the time, but she's okay."

She blinks in surprise that he actually did that.

"I got the day nurse to fill in for ya! Oh, but you owe her money for the overtime. Managed to get you a good deal too. Am I a good secret boyfriend or what?" He grins happily towards her, but she keeps a nonchalant look. As touched as she was, she wished that he had said something earlier during the past, oh she didn't know, three freaking days?!

"Or what," She finally comments.

"Sooo...will you stay?" He looks up at her pleadingly.

"...Fine," She crawls into bed with him. He shuffles around to be on top of her, putting his hands behind her head. A blush comes to her face. They had been close, but not _this_ close...she can literally feel every part of him on top of her. "...Were you afraid of me when...you know?"

"Heh," He laughs and she looks up at him in confusion. "How many times do I have to tell you? You don't scare me..." He plays with her hair, stroking it. "Most of the time."

She smiles softly, trying to hold in a laugh. "...Sorry that I doubted you. I didn't want to hurt you like that."

He presses his cheek to her chest, causing her to blush bashfully. "Ah, it's all in the past. All I care is that I can keep cuddling you."

She whimpers slightly in embarrassment. Sometimes stuff like this was a bit longer to get used to. He removes her hair tie slowly, staring at the brown waves on top of his pillow. "Hey, since you're my girlfriend now, are you gonna start wearing this down often?"

"Are you gonna get me roped into more competitions?" She asks back.

"...Maybe?" He smiles sheepishly and she smirks, closing her eyes.

"Then that's your answer." She giggles, expecting to hear laughter or even a complaint, but she doesn't. She opens her eyes again to see that he's staring at her, and this time very intensely. "What?"

"You know what I like most about having secret plans? I get to surprise you and then I see your beautiful face..." He strokes her face before moving his hand to her eyes. "With those big green eyes..." He pokes her lips, "And that smile from your pink lips."

Her eyes widen before she ends up snickering, covering his eyes. "Leo, that had to be the corniest thing ever! You know I'm still not used to that!"

"There's my giggly lady!" He rests his chin on her stomach, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Shh, you're gonna make me feel embarrassed in the morning," She pushes him away with a laugh. "God!"

"Worth it!" He lays back down on top of her. "Love you lots."

She smiles up at him. "Love you bunches."

He leans down and kisses her lips.


	48. Todd Scouts

**Angel: One, Tangled Series isn't being released until I'm done with Big Hero 7 Series updates (and I'm talking about the current season 2 episodes). Two, I don't have a date planned for my Randy Cunningham story, because I still have other stories to work on. Probably whenever one of them is on hiatus (I wanna say either Big Hero 7 series or Rise of TMNT, because I have a lot of Tangled episodes to write. I doubt I'll get those done before a new episode comes back for it). And three...no. Just no. Not doing Mao Mao.**

 **I didn't put Mao Mao as an entry for future stories to mean I'd write it, I put that there so that people would know that I DON'T want to do it, because it came up too often despite me already having talked about it, on this story actually in a previous chapter. I specifically denied about wanting to come across the subject again. I don't remember ever saying that I would write that show, so I'm either going crazy or I'm going blind because I don't see any statement I wrote stating that I would do Mao Mao.**

 **And trust me, if I wanted to, I would've become a miracle worker ages ago with those two stories. But I'm not, so please be patient with me guys, because I'm still young! I have other priorities in my life! No offense, but it's childish to argue over something that can wait, and I'll upload Tangled Series whenever I please, for one, because my final exams are next week. And two...**

 **Get into the holiday spirit, man. It's December. This is a time for happiness and early Christmas hype, not stress and silly fights between two reviewers over something I shouldn't even be addressing right now, but here we are...So please don't argue about my current story plans over reviews, I've already settled it! It's been established, so you can't say that I didn't try saying anything about it XD I'm not done with the next episode yet, and I wanna say it'll come out tomorrow or Thursday. I would continue writing it later, but I have to work tonight and then I have to wake up early Wednesday morning...**

Amy smiles a little as she steps into the lair, peeking into Leo's room. She's holding a basket of muffins in her hands while he's on his bed, not even noticing her because he's on her phone. "Hi papi," She steps into the room, holding up the treats. "I brought over some muffins for you to try. I even made some new ones like pineapple cinnamon, orange chocolate chip, lemon-"

"Yeah yeah, cool," He waves her off, to her surprise. Leo never acted like that with her before...

"Um...okay...so-"

"Ames," He stands up, placing his hands on her shoulders and tsking. "Ames, Ames, Ames...this is crucial social life right now," He gestures to his phone. "People are blowing up about this cat that claps slowly! I gotta comment on it!"

She stares at him as he sits back down, baffled. "But...I wanted to get your-"

"I know, I know," He starts pushing her towards the exit. "But you've got 5 other people to ask! We can hang out whenever I'm done with my phone—oh my god, is that the pizza pigeon again?!" He puts up the blanket over his open door and she sighs slowly.

"I can't, because your brothers are on their phones and Splinter is preparing for training..."

Leo had gotten a bit preoccupied with his phone, but not that much...it kinda hurt that he just kicked her out like that. But hopefully that'll end up just being a phase.

* * *

"Your enemies have you in their grasp," Splinter speaks as his eyes are closed. "Now think! Your next move could be your last..."

He looks up at the turtles and Amy, who are trapped above his head. They try squeezing out, to no avail. He sighs slowly at them and Donnie pops out his arm, Splinter thinking that he's gonna break free. "Yes, you're getting it!"

Amy manages to wiggle out, landing on her back with a slightly hard thump.

"...Ow..." She mumbles, sitting up.

Instead of breaking free himself, Donnie digs into his shell and pulls out his phone, typing onto it. "Wait, what are you doing?!"

"I am looking up how to get us out."

"Oh! Great thinking, Donnie," Raph grins at him.

"No! That is not what ninjas do!" Splinter shouts in ire.

"Got it!" Donnie doesn't even bother listening. "We just need to push forward to trigger the release and voila!"

The rat glares as they slip out, Donnie landing on top of them confidently. Amy dusts herself off as she stands up. A book hits his face, sending him into the waterfall nearby the ramp.

"Ninjas need to be able to think their way out of a problem!"

"We did. With our phones," Mikey holds up his phone, Amy rolling her eyes.

"Did I drain Draxum's life force using a phone?"

Leo rubs his chin. "Pretty sure you did..."

"No! I used my training to do it," Amy tells him.

"What if you don't have your phones?" Splinter asks his sons.

"Who took our phones?!" Leo replies back accusingly.

"No one! They just, uh...they just stopped working."

"What's the point of even living then?" Mikey starts crying, Amy patting his shell as Raph and Donnie hug him. The three older brothers look at their father in disapproval, Leo slowly shaking his head.

"That is it! We are going to the woods!"

"The what?" Donnie asks in shock, turning to the others.

* * *

Once they arrive, Splinter smells the air. "You hear that? That is the sound of no phones..."

His ears twitch as he hears clicking, looking over his shoulder to see his sons on their phones, paying no mind to him or their environment. "Give me those!" He snatches them away, but Leo creates a portal and snatches them back. Splinter jumps after them, landing on the grass and kicking them into the air. While they're flying, he snatches both their phones and their weapons. He also takes all of Donnie's tech that's on him. He throws them into the Turtle Tank.

"You will come back better ninjas, or not at all!" He shouts at them, driving away.

"He'll be back..." Raph replies, but after seeing him get further away, he really wasn't sure. "Right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Gonna turn around right...he's gone," Leo frowns once the Turtle Tank is out of sight.

"I need my phone and my phone needs me! We can't survive in the woods!" Donnie starts panicking.

"That's why we're here!" They look behind them to see Todd and Amy. "Hey hey! Ho ho! Ha ha! Hey guys!" He's in a scout master's uniform, with sunblock on his forehead. And Amy has part of her beige shirt tied to her right hip, showing her belly button. She's wearing dark green short shorts that shows her legs, while wearing dark brown sneakers. A dark green hat is on her head, her hair in a low ponytail, tied with a yellow ribbon for a pop of color.

"Todd?" The turtles ask in surprise, Leo eyeing Amy and gasping sharply. He could imagine her with her hair down, teaching him how to make a tent, build a fire, and gathering berries...because he'd have a good view, if people knew what he means.

"How'd you get here?" Raph wonders, blinking at Amy's outfit.

"Stop," She warns to the other three turtles as they're drooling. She didn't understand why Splinter asked her to wear a size too small until now: so that they don't get distracted by her. And now that she's got their attention, unwillingly, it's a little creepy...

"We drove up together...in your tank. Like 10 minutes ago."

 _Todd and Amy stood in the middle of the turtles, who were on their phones. "We're gonna learn knot tying, berry picking, sunblocking, and learning to be best friends..."_

"You don't remember this?" Todd asks them and they take a few moments to think.

"No," They eventually say, though Leo wishes that he did so that he could've gotten a better look at Amy earlier.

 _She looks smoking hot, she'd beat Jessica Rabbit in a beauty contest!_

"Welcome to Todd Scouts! Where fun meets wilderness survival skills! My co-counselor Amy here will be helping me."

"My lady, you know survival skills?!" Leo asks her in shock.

"Sure I do," She tips her hat to him with a small grin, though slightly hurt that this had to be the first time he's actually talked to her respectfully. "I used to go camping with my family, and my sister had me quiz her on the Daisy Girl Scouts handbook when she started out."

"I don't think I'm gonna make it," Donnie at this point has taken a spot on the grass, holding his cheeks. Not just because of how his friend looks, but because they have no phones!

"If we run, we can still catch Splinter," Leo tells them, running off with his younger brothers, but then they find themselves dangling in the air by vines. No offense to his lady, but he already knew this was one of Splinter's tactics to get them to listen.

"That is a triple X snare knot. A Todd trap! Knots are how you make ropes into friends," Todd explains to them, using his teeth to set them free. "Now let's get learning!"

"Survival lesson 1, food. We have none, so what would you eat?"

Raph holds up a large rock. "Wrong."

Donnie holds up a twig. "Wrong."

Leo hugs Donnie's head, opening his mouth. "Wrong. You're terrible."

Mikey inches towards some berries. Todd grips his arms, staring at him dead in the eye like a mad man. "NO! Never eat those, do you hear me?! Those are no-no berries! Don't forget." He giggles, patting the turtle on the head.

"Trust me, you don't wanna know the end results. Dad figured it out the hard way," Amy waves them forward and they follow her to a lake. She narrows her eyes as she looks over her shoulder. "And if you look at my ass at any point in time, you'll end up in hell."

The four sweat nervously as she turns her death glare into a smile, bending down towards the lake. The turtles turn away, covering their eyes just to be sure. "So you'll fish for food when you get hungry," The girl holds up a spear, stabbing fish with it and holding up the weapon with a grin. "See?"

"Lesson 2, shelter. When looking for the perfect shelter, make sure it has protection from the elements, and a water source for drinking," Todd dips his head into the water, splashing Amy a little.

"But since I'm not an animal, I have a canteen," Amy holds up her tiny canteen, leaning towards the water and scooping some up. Her ribbon slips off and in the turtles' minds, her hair is whipping around while still in her outfit, looking at them with sultry eyes. Todd lifts up his head, a fish in his mouth as his hair is moving around just like Amy's was.

"Just make sure the water is always clean first," Amy accidentally splashes some water onto her hair, confused by all the turtles' staring like they're in a trance.

"Who's hungry?" Todd asks, his voice muffled by the fish.

"Lesson 3, fire."

Todd and Amy start cooking the fish that they caught. "Nature's stove!"

"You always wanna make your fire look like this," Amy gestures to the campfire. "So that it doesn't spread to the trees and causes a forest fire," She flips over the stick of fishes above the fire.

"Lesson 4, WHERE AM I?! Is what you might say if you're lost. A Todd Scout navigates by the sun, where..."

"When's he gonna teach us to survive boredom?" Leo rolls his eyes at Todd.

"It's not totally boring," Mikey wiggles his eyebrows at Amy, Leo punching him in the arm. "Ow...!"

"Pst. Up here," They hear, looking behind them to see Donnie hiding in the tree. "I got something to show you, but you gotta ditch Todd and Amy, no matter how incredibly hot she looks." He has wood on him to look like his tech.

"Wait, what?" Leo glares up at him.

"I mean incredibly ugly," Donnie coughs into his fist, "But I don't mean it. Just do it!"

"We can't," Raph shrugs at his brother. "As soon as he gets through all this boring stuff, he's bound to get to the good stuff."

"Okay, now you guys are in for a treat!"

"See?" Raph smirks smugly at him.

"Wild animal calls!" Todd starts acting like a duck, Amy shaking her head at him. Then a dog barking. "Okay, that's domesticated, I fooled you guys, alright?"

Leo is a bit hesitant to ditch Amy since...she is his girlfriend still in secret...but if they got away from her, then his brothers could stop staring and that'll ease him! He hates it when they do that, or anyone else because she chose him!

"We're in..." Raph says in a strained tone, looking at Amy one last time. He wished he had his phone so he could take a picture. All of them wish for that, actually. "Leo?"

"On it..." He slides up to Todd, Amy glancing up at him from the fire. "Hey, buddy. Wow, you've been working out. Listen, I think we're ready to kick this up a notch. How about we show you what we can do, alone?"

"Fantastic!" Todd agrees with the turtle, "Go be a Todd..." He cries a little, wiping his eyes as Leo gives them a thumbs up.

* * *

"I couldn't take it anymore," Donnie explains to them as he's leading them somewhere. "Away from the world, technology, my sweet, sweet phone and Mia still looking hot—I mean disgusting. So I built, behold, Donnie Town!" He pulls away leaves to show a treehouse. They flip inside to see a hot tub, chairs, and a 'TV screen.' "Also known as Donnieapolis, Donnie Estates, Parkwood Donnie, Notre Donnie, I still haven't landed on one..."

The party lights above turn on, the leaf ceiling fan spinning around. Fire is being operated by two squirrels, and beavers are carving things made of logs, already having done Donnie's head and a few of his shells.

"Now this is camping!" Leo jumps into one of the seats. The TV screen is made of chalk because obviously a real TV wouldn't work in the woods. It shows one of the Jupiter Jim movies.

"Todd Scouts, not for us...no matter how fantastic Mellie looked..." Raph wipes away a tear, glad that he could still remember it.

"Agreed," Mikey smiles from the hot tub.

"Boredom survival tip number one...ditch Todd and Amy!"

A sharp gasp is hard and his eyes widen as he looks to see Todd and Amy themselves. Todd is holding a tray of lemonade. "You ditched us?! What even is this place?" He looks around at the treehouse, snot dripping down his nose. A flower in a vase goes dead as Amy crosses her arms, giving all of them scolding looks, especially Leo.

"When I saw you guys leave, I thought you went to get more firewood. But after 15 minutes, we followed your footprints."

"Well, I guess you guys have advanced passed survival...to betrayal!"

"It's not what it looks like!" Mikey ducks his head.

"Well now you're probably too cool for my Todd Scouts lemonade special...and it's made with extra...love!" He sobs as one of the heart-shaped lemons breaks in half...like his heart. Amy cringes at the capybara, who throws his tray into the air. "Oh, let me fix that," He comes back and puts everything on the floor, adjusting the flower. "Sorry, got caught up in this. Let's go, Amy!" He cries as he runs, landing on the dirt below, still crying as he rolls away. Amy starts going down the stairs.

"My lady, wait!" Leo runs after her, walking next to the brunette. "I-I'm sorry, it was Donnie's idea to ditch you, I mean leave you-" He grunts as no matter how he spins it, it's still bad. "I just thought...you know, since you have survival skills-"

"That I would understand?" She raises a brow as she stops walking, staring at him. "Leo..."

He winces as she's using his name and not his nickname. "How are you supposed to be a better ninja if you won't put in the effort? You'd think after the Shredder, you'd at least pay attention a little more, but no...instead you just wanna slack off on your phone and with your luxuries than to try. But I should know better to think you'd do that or that you actually like hanging out with me...you've been more and more on your phone lately, so I should've expected this..." She turns to him with a hurt look. "Right? Just when you ask me to trust you...you go ahead and break it."

He stares after her sadly as she continues walking without a word. "We beefed it up good," Raph tells the others as Leo just stands there. "We should probably go apologize to them."

"All we need to do is explain that it's not them we don't like...it's just everything Todd stands for!" Plus he doesn't like his brothers staring at his girlfriend, but he can't say that out loud without them getting suspicious.

"You okay?" Raph raises a brow, sensing Leo's sadness.

"Yep!" He exclaims immediately, sweating a little. "M-My lady is just blowing off some steam."

"For the last time, Leo...she's not gonna be your girlfriend, she never is gonna be, and you need to accept that and move on," Donnie tells him and Mikey says nothing, biting his lip. He really wanted to correct them, but he knows he can't. Not until the two find the right time to tell them.

"Why don't you try finding a nice mutant?"

"I don't want a nice mutant. I want her!" He snaps at them, causing Raph and Donnie to recoil back in shock. "I'm not giving up on Ames. You never give up, you stay and you make the effort to keep trying!" He exclaims, realizing that he shouldn't have ditched her...or neglected her. How could he so stupid? She probably feels so upset now...

"HEEELP!" Todd's cry causes Amy to stop walking, squinting her eyes to see the mutant getting snatched.

"Hey!" She yells, sprinting as fast as she can.

"Hey, what do you think those guys are doing to Todd?" Leo asks as one of the men fires a blow dart, hitting Amy in the arm. She falls limp as the truck leaves.

"No! He's been Todd-napped!" Mikey shouts as Leo slides up to Amy, who's coughing.

"Are you okay?"

"I will be once we find them and make them regret doing that," She narrows her eyes as she sits up with Leo's help.

"How are we supposed to find him if we don't even know where we are? Where's my phone?!"

"They probably took him back to their campsite," Raph explains, rubbing his chin. "Wherever that is."

"I mean, it's gotta be near water because lesson two: shelter should be near water. That's it, they're at the river. What is happening?! Did you hear that? I actually learned something!"

Amy pulls out the dart. "Hey, look at us. We don't even need our phones for this one super-specific mission. But in general, and I cannot make this clear enough, I need my phone."

"You can get it back once you've learned to be one with nature," Amy rolls her eyes at him.

"Hey," Raph wraps his arms around all of them. "Let's use what Todd and Mellie taught us and go save him!"

And so, they put on Todd Scout uniforms, even adding the sunblock. "Todd Scouts!" Raph's uniform rips since he's so big.

"...Alright, let's roll. Cut it down, boys!" Donnie gives the animals from the treehouse a message.

 _Leave no trace._

The beavers and squirrels destroy the treehouse within seconds, leaving nothing but a pile of ash. Amy covers her mouth in shock as she sees no sign of the animals.

"Did...did they just die?"

* * *

"His cheeks are massive, Doctor."

"Yes they are, Doctor. They're beautiful..."

"What kind of doctors are you?" Todd couldn't help but ask as he's being tied up to a chair.

"We're dentists...who have a particular interest in collecting rare and exotic teeth!" Dr. Alex Noe points to his own teeth. "And we've got you now, Sasquatch!" He laughs evilly, the blonde male nurse standing in front of Todd holding a picture.

"Are you sure this is a Sasquatch, Doctor?" He looks between the human man in the picture and Todd, who look nothing alike. "He's pretty small..."

"Oh, who cares?" Noe throws the picture over his shoulder. "His central in sizes will look amazing on my trophy wall..." He has a whole wall of teeth collected from rare species.

"You guys seem like really good friends..." Todd speaks up, getting their attention. "I want you to cherish that...I had friends once, but I..." He sniffles, tears running down his cheeks. "I bored them away..." He hopes his mouth. "Do what you want to me!"

"Okay, enough. This squatch is really bumming me out!"

"Painfully ripping the teeth from his root will cheer you up, sir," The blonde nurse holds up a pair of squeezers."

"You know me so well!" He reaches towards Todd's teeth when something lights up behind them. "Oh, the nature force found us! Cavity stations, men! Floss the perimeter!" The nurses prepare themselves with floss packs and sharp picks. "I'll go left, you go right. Come back with a bicuspid, or don't come back at all!"

They start searching the area while two nurses are standing guard at the door. Two of them trigger the rope traps the turtles and Amy had prepared.

"Two down, three to go. Mikey, how's part two coming?"

"I'm ready," Mikey hangs upside down from a tree. "This is why they're called no-no berries!" He fires two berries into the mouths of the two guards who swallow them and start to get sick, running off.

"Now to get Todd. Scouts, on me," Raph whispers to them.

They manage to sneak inside, with no one around. "Clear over here"

"Clear."

"Zero percent optic."

Leo rolls over to their friend, all of them except Raph appearing quietly. "Todd, are you okay?" Leo rips off the strings. "Oh, you look terrible."

"No, I'm fine!" Todd sits up, hiding his face. "Just, just go! Leave me!"

"Todd I'm really sorry, my brothers said all those terrible things about you and again, just them, not me."

Leo pushes Donnie's head away. "Why don't we leave the apologies to the pro?" He plants Amy near Todd and sparkles appear around him. "Todd, my lady, you're our friends and we never should have been such jerks to the both of you. We're really, really so-"

"Apology accepted!" Todd hugs him tightly. "You really are good at that. Wow!"

"It'll take more than that to have me forgive you," Amy crosses her arms as she was trying not to look swayed the entire time. He pulls it off again and she covers her eyes. "Nope."

Suddenly there's a roar outside and then a crash. Noe had rammed his vehicle into the room. "Tooth Fairies," He rips off his shirt, showing his muscles with an evil grin. "Give me that squatch..."

"Are these guys...dentists?" Donnie wonders as Mikey hides himself in his shell.

"RUN!" Leo shouts as he quickly picks up Amy in his arms, jumping out the treehouse. He's followed by Donnie and Raph, who carries Mikey and Todd. The dentists fire blow darts at them, Noe laughing as they chase after the group.

"Those big beautiful buck teeth trophies are mine!" He laughs like a mad man, continuing to fire.

"He's crazy!" Amy hollers as she looks over Leo's shoulder. Raph's arm gets hit, Todd landing near him and running.

"My arm! I'm hit!"

Then Donnie's legs get affected and he tries to continue running, but his legs start to get numb. Mikey gets hit in the feet.

"They are firing numbing darts, which is totally on brand! No one get hit-" Leo gets affected in the face barely able to speak as he clings onto Amy, who doesn't get hit by the darts. Todd gasps as he sees the plight of his friends. "Leave us, Todd! Save Ames and yourself!"

"A Todd Scout never leaves a fellow Todd behind," He gathers up Leo, Amy, and Mikey on his head. He speeds up his feet once he's gotten all of them, ducking into a cave.

"Where is he?! Sasquatch!" Noe yells as they drive right past the hiding spot. Todd sighs in relief. "Where are you?"

"Don't worry about us, Todd," Raph states as Amy is tending to his arms. "We've got shelter, and food, and-"

"And I got this canteen of Todd's made special drink."

"Wait, my lemonade?! Bingo!" Todd snatches it from him, confusing Amy.

"What is your lemonade gonna do?" She wonders as she hands Donnie a couple of good berries for him to eat.

"Stand back! This is gonna get wild!" Todd drinks the lemonade, his eyes glowing blue as gold electricity sparks from his eyes. This shocks everyone around him. "LEMON RUSH!" He's suddenly topless as he transforms himself.

The crazy dentist comes to a stop, pressing his ear to the grass and gasping. "What is that?!" One of the nurses points up ahead to see a squirrel perched on top of a rock.

Noe just laughs, but the squirrel splints into other animals, who stampede towards them. Todd lifts himself up from the air, his hair all spiky. "LEMON RUSH!"

"The true power of the Sasquatch..." Noe murmurs in shock, kicking away the animals, but there is too much for him to handle on his own. They start attacking the car. "Retreat!"

They start running away, Todd clenching a fist. The nurses get lost in the dust, Noe getting tackled by the animals before running off.

"Todd is...magnificent..." Raph murmurs as they had seen the whole thing. Amy looks at the canteen of lemonade in her hand, mouth wide open. Todd is then sitting on a deer in front of the sunrise, turning around and falling in exhaustion. Raph leaps forward and catches him. "Gotcha."

"Thanks...well, I'm sure you guys wanna get back to your phones so you don't have to pretend to be Todd Scouts anymore..."

"Pretend? Who's pretending?" Donnie asks as he smiles and they all hug him.

"Yeah, I wanna learn how to cut rope with my teeth!"

"Oh, and afterwords, big sis, can we have something from your bakery?" Mikey pleads, clasping his hands with puppy eyes. "Pleeease?"

She rolls her eyes in amusement, brushing past Leo. "Sure, but I have to go back to your place first to change clothes."

He cringes, feeling that nudge.

Lightning strikes as Noe is back in his office, looking at a picture of Raph he somehow got. "Ooh...that snaggletooth..." He stabs the picture, scarred from his attack with the animals in the woods. "I must have it!"

* * *

Amy brushes her hair, staring in the mirror as she sees her tired eyes. Having a fight with her boyfriend would do that...

A whistle is heard and she stands up, moving past the curtain to see Leo dressed in a mariachi outfit. She blinks at him slowly and before she can ask what the shell he's doing, he holds up a hand,, holding a rose. "My lady, I'm really sorry that I've been neglecting you. You didn't deserve it and I was acting like an idiot. I have no excuse, but I can't tell you how much it hurts when you're not with me...so, until you forgive me, I'm gonna salsa dance!"

He puts the rose in his mouth, turning towards a radio near his feet. With his foot, he plays the Spanish music, dancing around like an instructor. Honestly, him dancing alone is kinda funny...she snickers, starting to laugh and he grins, continuing. He spins around goofily and she giggles. No matter how mad she can stay at him, she can't just not laugh.

At this point, her knees have hit the floor as she's still going on and he kneels in front of her anxiously. "Does this mean I'm your boyfriend again?"

"You always were, papi," She kisses his nose and he hugs her.

"From now on, I'm cutting myself off from all my things! All of my time is gonna be with my lady."

"You can still use your phone," Amy pulls back to look at him in amusement. "Just pace yourself."

"Oh thank goodness!" He cries out, smothering her face with kisses, causing her to giggle again.

"Papi! Oh my god, stop it, you're embarrassing me again!"

"I don't care!" He says in between pecks, "I wanna see my giggly lady."

"You're just lucky that they're too busy on their phones to pay attention," She murmurs, allowing the affection while biting back a grin. She'll tell him someday, but she likes it when he does stuff like this. His lips are soft like a pillow and sometimes they tickle.

"I'm really sorry," He frowns deeply, ashamed of himself. "I should spend more time with you since you have a busy schedule...I don't hate being with you, it's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I don't know what got into me!"

"I forgive you," She smiles, holding his hands. "Just...don't make me feel like that again, please. My mother already attacks me all the time...and for you to ignore me..."

He cringes, knowing exactly what she wanted to say: it was almost the exact same thing. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad!" He cups her cheeks, kissing her nose. "Can I...make it up to you?"

"You don't really have to, I already-"

"Dove, please..." He stares at her seriously and she nods slowly. "Close your eyes."

"If you're gonna lie on the bed surrounded by rose petals again, it's not gonna work," She deadpans at him and he shakes his head rapidly.

"O-Okay, that was a bad idea, but it's not that. I swear on my Jupiter Jim comics."

She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. Leo leans in and kisses her. Amy gasps, but hugs his neck, kissing back gently. A few minutes later, he ends the kiss, brushing away a stray bang. "Will that do, my lady?"

"Yes," Amy giggles a little and he pecks her nose again, grinning when he sees her scrunch up her nose, blushing in embarrassment. He just had to do that again...

"How about we go to Central Park tomorrow?" Leo smiles at her. "We can cuddle~"

"I'll bring some brownies. Just the way you like them," Amy smirks in amusement when he pumps his fist with a silent 'yes.'

* * *

"Freaking psychos trying to get teeth," Amy mutters, picking stray twigs out of her hair as the five head back to the bakery, with Todd tagging along. All she was really looking forward to was something sweet, she didn't even care if she had to make it herself...besides, she felt like making Todd something was necessary after what the turtles did.

"Hey, who are they?" Raph points up ahead. They look in his direction to see Ann and Lily there, sitting in front of the bakery.

"Huh...I've never seen them before," Amy raises a brow, growing in alarm as she whips around to her mutant friends. "You guys gotta hide!" She pushes them into the alley, a cat screeching as they crash onto the floor.

She sighs in relief as the two girls look up, eyeing the girl. It takes about a few good seconds before one of them speaks up.

"...There was a bunch of mutants behind you just now, wasn't there?"

Amy opens her mouth in shock before snapping back to reality. "What? No. You must be thinking about those mutants in Time square disguised as mascots. Now those guys were crazy!"

"I want cake!" Donnie whispers, almost revealing himself when the others pull him back.

"We can hear you!" Lily stands up, smiling. "But we won't tell anyone."

"...What if it's a trick?" Raph murmurs to the others.

"Guys, come on," Amy tells them, a bit annoyed as she starts searching for her keys.

"Sooo," Leo reveals himself to them first, hands behind his back. "You're...okay with this whole situation?"

"We've seen our fair share of mutants, we are from New York," Ann retorts to him.

"Great to meet ya!" Raph runs around the corner, actually breaking through the glass of Amy's door to get inside, to her horror. "What are you waiting for, Mellie?"

"I'll fix it...for a reasonable fee," Donnie sighs, stepping up to the glass.

"How about extra cupcakes and we'll call it a day?" Amy shakes her head, pinching her nose.

"New friends!" Mikey cheers as Todd waves from behind.

"Hello there, ladies!"

"So they're your friends?" Ann questions the brunette as they all step over Donnie to get inside.

"...Yeah, you could call it that," Amy responds after a few seconds, putting on her apron before she realizes that she had yet to ask them this. "But wait, what are you doing here in the first place? I'm closed for the night."

"Oh," Lily pulls out a flyer, grinning widely.

"We're here to apply for jobs!"


	49. Goyles, Goyles, Goyles

**Angel: Finally done with this episode...after I just finished my last essay for two classes too XD Haven't seen any new episode titles so far, so we might be another hiatus...**

 **Which will give me time to work on my Tangled Series! I think I'll release it...maybe after my finals, which is on Wednesday. Yeah, I'll wait until exams are over. I'm only on episode 9 right now, so I still gotta write the rest.**

"You want me to what?!" Amy whispers as they're outside in the alley of the shop.

"Hire our new friends!" Raph explains to her. "Mellie, you're overworked. You deserve a break!"

"If I'm so overworked, how could I run this place ever since I was 11?" She points to the back door. "11!"

"But you can't do this all by yourself. And all you do most of the time is work!" Mikey pouts at the brunette.

"I made it clear why and not true. Homework, helping my mom, paying for damages that you guys cause-"

"Please, dove. Just consider it," Leo interrupts, giving her a small smile.

"It's only a trial run. Not really that hard," Donnie waves it off while typing on his wrist computer. "April just said that they're from your school and they need the money. Ann's father is in the army and Lily's mom is a single mother working two jobs at minimum wage."

"If they're from school then how come I didn't hear about this issue from any of them?" Amy places her hands on her hips and Leo suddenly remembers something, rubbing his neck in embarrassment. Hopefully she won't hate him...

"Oh...well, this is embarrassing, but I think I accidentally hit the mute button from your robot when I visited yesterday."

She sighs slowly, seeing puppy eyes from all of them except Donnie of course. Well...she supposes she could give them a shot...they came all this way and waited for who knows how long just to come here, after all...

"...Fine. I'll give them a trial run."

"Ooh! Can we watch?" Mikey waves his hand in the air. "We wanna learn too!"

"I've taught you guys this like 3 times."

"We, uh...need a reminder for next time," Raph rubs his neck. "So that we don't forget."

She rolls her eyes and slams open the back door, walking up to the two girls. Lily is in the kitchen, standing in front of a station. She slices chocolate pieces, slowly putting them into a bowl.

"What are you doing?" She demands, startling the blonde.

"I-I'm cutting chocolates. I'm cutting chocolates?" The girl replies nervously, wondering if that was okay.

"No! You waste energy and time!" Amy grabs a wheelcart using her leg, placing a clean bowl on top rapidly. "You think baking is a cute job, eh? Like Mommy in the kitchen?" She starts cutting the chocolate in a fast pace, not even cutting unevenly as she stares at Lily while talking. "Well Mommy never had to face a rush when the orders come flooding in and every dish is different and none of the ovens running at all with the different baking times, but must arrive to the customer exactly at the designated time hot and ready!"

Using the knife, she flings the cut pieces into a bowl. "Every second counts and you cannot be Mommy!" She goes over to the rack for aprons, grabbing hers and putting it on. She tosses one to Lily, to her surprise. "Get your friend. I'm gonna show you how it should be done."

The turtles blink at her. They knew she was dedicated, but never like this...

When Ann and Lily are cleaning up after decorating, Amy comes over alone as the turtles are peeking over the girls' shoulders.

"What is this?" She gestures to the mess next to them. "Keep your station clear," Amy grabs the large stack of pans and cooking utensils, throwing them into the sink. "When the rush comes, what do you think is gonna happen?" She starts picking up all the dirty dishes. "Every station slows down. Food doesn't go, and you're left with a pile of things to clean!" She throws the last one into the sink, turning to the two girls.

"I'll make this clear enough for all of you. "Keep your station clear OR I WILL KILL YOU!"

The six recoil back and she leaves, all of them blinking. "I like this girl's style," Ann crosses her arms, impressed. She gets angry too, but never to that extent. Then a towel is thrown at Raph's face.

While Ann is mixing batter, Amy arrives, pulling up her arm to show a dirty sleeve from Ann's jacket. "Ugh, your sleeves are disgusting. Keep your hands and arms in, close to the body," She demonstrates for all of them to see. "Like this. You see? Always return to this position. Bake smooth, fast sharp utensils, hot metal. Keep your arms in, you want to minimize cuts and burns and keep your sleeves clean," Amy tucks in her sleeves from her dress.

"Mark of a baker. Messy apron and face, with clean sleeves," She holds up her arms to them.

"I've memorized all my recipes. Even my new ones," Amy explains as they're all plucking stems from cherries. "In every dish, I always do something unexpected. If you plan on working here, I'll show you sometime. They're really fun to make, especially the fusion ones."

Lily turns away to write this down. "Always do something unexpected."

"No! Follow the recipe," Amy emphasizes further.

"But you said-"

"No, no, no, no, no," The brunette waves a hand. "It's my job to do something unexpected. It's your job to follow the recipe."

"How do you tell that a loaf of bread is good without tasting it?" Amy grabs a piece of bread from her shelf, holding it up for all of them to look at. Mikey reaches towards it and she slaps his hand away. "Not smell, not how golden it looks, but the sound of the crust. Listen."

She crackles the bread a little, the turtles smiling happily. "Ahh, symphony of crackles. Only great bread is like this. And this way, you don't contaminate it by plucking a piece off!"

"The only way to get the best ingredients is to have the first pick of the day. And there's only two ways to do get first pick. Grow it yourself, and if all else fails...bribe a grower," She whispers the last part, opening up the back door and discreetly giving the man with the truck some money. "Voila! The best bakery gets first pick!"

"People think that just because my food can be snooty, I'm snooty," Amy states as they peel oranges. "Not true, though. I've been through a lot in my lifetime, and since I'm usually the only employee, I know how to handle every single customer that walks through my door. Though, some of them did know my mother before management went to me and that did harden the blow a little. And because of that, I had to ban some of them. But you see? I'm an artist. Pirate. More than a baker, right?"

"Wait..." Lily blinks at her, wondering if she's thinking what she herself is thinking. "Are we...?"

"Hired? Yep. You're one of us now, aren't you?" She grins towards her friends. Ann and Lily glance towards each other, smiling in their own way.

"Right! Thanks for all the advice on baking. We learned a lot."

"We did too," Raph smirks, crossing his arms. "Thank you, Mellie."

"Thanks to you guys too," She replies while making mascarpone.

"For what?" Leo blinks at her in confusion and she turns to them with a smile.

"For taking it."

* * *

While the gang are doing this, Meat Sweats is reading a resume as Huginn and Muninn are looking for work. "And while you look at our resume, you'll find we are more than qualified for this job," Huginn states to Meat Sweats as he's reading a poorly formatted paper.

"And we split a salary!" Muninn winks up at the pig.

"Hmm, strong references," He nods slowly. "But look maties, the truth is, you misread the sign. I'm not looking for help...I'm looking for lunch!" He sharpens his knives together.

"Oh, we'd love lunch!" Munnin smiles, not understanding the danger that they're in. The next thing the two know, they're locked in a cell. "Ohhhh..."

Meat Sweats chops up carrots. "Oh man! I've seen my whole life flash before me."

"Oh yeah? Which part specifically?"

"The day we got hired by Baron Draxum..." Muninn sags his shoulders. "Remember that?"

"Oh do I! Flashback?"

"Waving arms!"

 _Goyles of Fortune was when they got their start. "Rev it up! You got this! Push it with your arms, Muninn! Get swole! Push it, push it, push it!"_

 _Muninn was weightlifting apples... "One."_

" _Yes!"_

" _Oh yeah!" Muninn flexed his tiny muscles. "Check out these walnuts!"_

" _Hey scrubs! Put away our weights," Two bigger and taller gargoyles loomed over them, dropping a weight into Muninn's hands._

" _And our stinky socks," A dirty sock landed on Huginn's face._

" _And our medicine ball!" They threw a large ball at the two, knocking the duo into a pile of crates._

" _Aw man, Huginn. We're never gonna get out of this stupid gargoyle boot camp..." Muninn complained to his friend._

" _Whoa, whoa, whoa! That's not the Muninn I know! You gotta be positive! Someday, somebody will see our talent and give us a home and finally, we'll be sleeping on a nice cushy bed in front of a fireplace." He held up a picture from Dog House Pet Supplies, their faces taped over the puppies in the photo._

" _Like dogs?" Muninn asked hopefully._

" _Bow-stinkin'-wow!"_

" _Ten hut! Wings and horns up!"_

 _All the gargoyles lined up in front of the captain. "Goyles of Fortune has received an order for two super awesome bros! The awesome bros will live in an awesome castle with all the awesome comforts! And perform awesome missions for an awesome warrior alchemist. And they're looking for our two most awesome recruits! Now who's it gonna be?"_

 _He looked all of his buffed up goyles...and then there was Huginn and Muninn. "You two!"_

" _He picked us?!" Muninn exclaimed happily._

" _Oh, we're out of here! See you later, sleeping in a box of knives!"_

" _No, you canaries! I want you to drive these real bros to Baron Draxum's!"_

 _The two goyles threw the two into the air._

" _Awesome!"_

" _Best day ever, bro!" They slapped their hands between Huginn and Muninn._

* * *

 _Later, they were flying up the hill, holding onto the carriage. "Move faster, canaries!" One of them threw an apple core._

" _How come Sarge always gives us these really lousy jobs?" Muninn muttered bitterly to Huginn._

" _He doesn't realize how smart we are." A banana peel landed on his head. "Hey...instead of taking these guys the slow and steady way, we can impress Sarge by taking the shortcut up Devil's Backbone."_

' _Bad idea!'_

 _Devil's Backbone was not recommended for anyone to go through, because of the unstable bone bridge..._

" _Super smart! Sarge will be stocked!" Muninn cheered as they started taking the shaky bridge path._

" _Hey, slow down! Too bumpy!"_

 _And as just as he warned, the carriage wheel hit a bump, knocking the two gargoyles out of the ride. "Hey, did you hear a falling scream?"_

" _Probably just the lava demons!" Muninn yelled over the noises as the lava demons took the two gargoyles._

 _When they arrived, Munnin rung the doorbell, landing next to Huginn._

" _Hi, we're Goyles of Fortune with your—whoa..." Huginn stopped short as the Baron Draxum stood in front of them. He was definitely nothing like they had ever seen before during their odd jobs with Sarge. "How'd you like to perch on those shoulders all day?"_

" _I would love that!" Muninn replied as their eyes shined._

" _You're my Goyles of Fortune?" Draxum asked in confusion._

" _Oh no, that'd be the guys in the-" Huginn gestured to the carriage, only to find that the original gargoyles were gone. "Yes! Yes we are!"_

" _Yeesh," He stood back up on his feet. "I expected something a little more...beefcake-y."_

" _Oh, trust us! We be the best cake!"_

" _Let's see if you have that famous gargoyle wood-splitting ability..." He raised a log into the air, slamming it over Muninn. The wood split in half, leaving an injured gargoyle with a black eye and a few missing teeth. "Not bad, not bad. You are tough! That looked like it really hurt..."_

" _It did..." Muninn murmured in pain and they explored only for a few seconds before Huginn found exactly what they were looking for._

" _Muninn, look!"_

 _Right there in the living room was a dog bed in front of a fireplace, but there was already a dog skeleton in it. They could just see themselves sitting there, enjoying cocktails. "Dog bed, dog bed, dog bed!" Muninn cheered as they followed the warrior scientist._

" _This is my laboratory," Draxum stated as there were specimen everywhere. "These exotic creatures will one day protect the yokai from the human front..."_

" _Ooh," Muninn took hold of a red-slider turtle. "Look at these tasty treats," He opened his mouth to eat it, only for Draxum to smack him away._

" _Stop! They're not food!" He snatched the turtle in his hand. "They're my prime subjects. These rare surface creatures will one day become great warriors." The red-eared slider blinked and smiled up at him. "Once I mutate them with the right DNA...anyway, your first task. Put this bridle on my new pony," He threw it to Muninn, walking away._

" _Dude! This is cake! We get to live in dog bed heaven and all we have to do is bridle a sweet little pony."_

 _They heard a roar behind them, yelping as the pony did not look sweet or little... "Oh no!" The pony grabbed them with its moving hair and started beating them up._

" _All done boss," Huginn reported as they returned back with bruises._

" _Whew boy, that pony's all grown-up, huh...?"_

" _Adequate work!" He slapped Muninn on the back._

" _So...now that that's done, we're gonna take a little cat nap on our dog bed," Huginn pointed to the bed in front of them._

" _Uh, uh, uh!" Draxum interrupted before they could do anything of the sort. "Dog beds are for employees. Which you are not...until you complete your next task. The mighty Lou Jitsu..." He gestured to the orb in front of him, which had an image of the warrior himself. "With his DNA, I can create warrior beasts to protect our people! But Big Mama refuses to part with him, even though he hasn't fought in ages! That's where you come in."_

" _So you want us to sneak into the Hidden City's most heavily guarded place, the Battle Nexus..."_

" _And kidnap its most powerful champion, Lou Jitus?" Muninn finished for his friend._

" _You get it! Though...I do need you to see something first."_

 _They turned to each other in confusion._

* * *

 _The next day, they were standing on top of a rooftop, overlooking at the entrance to a bakery named Sweet Santiago's. "Why are we here?"_

" _Quiet," Draxum held a hand in front of Muninn. Suddenly the door opened and a family of five stepped out. One of them was a brunette Latina, being swung as she held her parents' hands. The younger man, older than the brunette, held another little girl in his arms. "Do you see that girl?"_

" _You mean the one with that brown hair?" Huginn asked curiously._

" _So jealous of how shiny it looks!" Muninn exclaimed and the alchemist sighed. "Why is that girl so important, boss?"_

" _Don't argue with the boss!" Huginn whispered, shaking his head._

" _Let's just say it's...instinct." And besides, no one would suspect one of their own destroying them once he was done with her. "Watch this." He made a vine appear as they watched the car get away and it pierced through the car from behind. A scared shriek was heard as the car flew towards a pole and then crashed straight into it, landing on the street with loud honks followed._

 _The two gargoyles dropped their mouths in shock. Did they just witness him do that? They couldn't just leave them there...but they also needed this job. No way were they going back to the gargoyle boot camp._

" _Excellent," Baron Draxum grinned as the only survivor managed to slip out of the car, seeing the vines near the trunk._

" _W-What are those? What happened?" She stammered in fear, looking around. Her eyes followed the trail until landing on Draxum. He just smiled evilly and she gasped, holding her hands to her heart. "A mutant..."_

 _Her eyes watered as she realized that he did this. "Waaaah!" She bawled sadly and he left her there, the two gargoyles glancing back as they heard the sirens._

 _Hopefully that little girl would get help..._

* * *

" _Well, this was fun, and painful while it lasted," Muninn stated as he packed up his things once they arrived back. "But no way are we kidnapping a Battle Nexus champion! Not after what he did to that little girl!"_

" _You're not thinking about the big picture, Muninn. Yeah, it was horrible and all, but there's nothing we can do for her now. But here, we'd get a home, where you can toast your claws by a roaring fire as you sink into a happy intermediate foam."_

" _But how are we gonna get into the Battle Nexus?"_

* * *

 _They arrived in disguises. "Step aside, scrubs! Your new champion is here!" Huginn gestured to Muninn, who was wearing boxing gloves._

" _The Golden Goyle! Go nuts!"_

" _All you gargoyles is furry dust," He lifted a log over his head._

" _Oh no," Muninn whimpered as he realized what was happening. He was hit and the wood split again, leaving him in pain for a second time._

" _Whoo whee! That's impressive! Champions go to the left," They gestured to the open doors. The two flew inside._

" _This way, Muninn. Muninn?"_

 _Muninn was wearing a cheese hat and a foam finger, hoping to watch, but then he remembered why they're there in the first place. "Oh, so we're not gonna..." He sagged his shoulders sadly. "Okay..."_

 _They reached the prisons, finding one door marked with Lou Jitsu's name above it. "Do you really think we can handle the most ferocious champion in the history of the Battle Nexus?" Muninn asked skeptically._

" _No. Absolutely not. There's no chance. We just have to make him think we can. Gotta go full alpha bro!"_

" _Yeah! Fire up them walnuts!" Muninn declared and they both charged at the door, hitting it with a thump. "Ow...!" Muninn opened the door and they fell onto the ground._

" _You're coming with us, bro," Huginn lifted his head. "Give us any lip, we'll mess you up big time!"_

 _Lou Jitsu was holding a rat in his hands. "If Big Mama sent you, I have not changed my mind. No more fighting! I have sworn off violence."_

 _The rat bit his finger and he cringed. "Ow! Why you little-! I mean...I forgive you, little friend." His eyes widened. "Whoa! That's kind of a lot of blood."_

" _Oh, we're not from Big Mama," Muninn explained, "Our boss just wants to use you in weird, unsafe experiments."_

" _As long as I don't have to fight..." He shrugged at them. They flew to his shoulders and picked him up with their claws. "Om...om...om..."_

* * *

 _The little girl from before was just arriving into the Hidden City, alone as she clutched where her heart was...her brother and sister...both of them gone...her father was still recovering, and her mother..._

 _She couldn't even begin to describe what was wrong with her brain._

 _The girl tried to understand why that mutant did it and what exactly her mother was going through...but she couldn't find anything to justify it. She was so upset she left the hospital, but she did have the emergency phone on her if anything happened, and they had her number. But she had to figure out where those mutants went, so she had went back to the crime scene and snuck past all the officers. She followed the path of the vines, and here she was._

" _Om..." Jitsu was now sitting in a cell in front of Draxum._

" _I'm very impressed. Beyond my shoulders first thing in the morning. "Oh, and enjoy your first night in your dog bed."_

" _Bow-stinkin-wow!" The two high-fived each other, flying away. Jitsu peeked to the box near him._

 _She peeked around the corner as she looked around the lab, noticing Draxum and gasping sharply. Thankfully he didn't hear as she covered her mouth. Then she saw the tiny turtles in the box and the man in the cage. Did the mutant did something to him too? Was that why he was there?_

 _Jitsu took the red-eared slider in his palms. "Well, aren't you cute? I will call you Green. And you, Green Number 2!" He looked at the snapping turtle, looking between them. "How can I tell you turtles apart...?"_

" _Ah, the great Lou Jitsu," Draxum greeted him. "Your warrior prowess is legendary!"_

" _My fighting days are behind me," Jitsu narrowed his eyes at him. "I will never harm another creature." He kissed the snapping turtle's cheek, who bit at his lip. "Why you little-!"_

" _Fighting will not be needed," The cage opened up to let Draxum through, the girl just staring with bated breath. "Only your innate genetic gifts..."_

" _We did it, old chum," Huginn stated as they were lying in the bed just as they envisioned._

" _We sure did, old bean." They clinked their glasses and took a sip._

 _A purple vine went over to the box of turtles as Jitsu was dangling in the air. "What are you doing with Green?!"_

" _You've taken quite a liking to these turtles...fascinating creatures. Built for survival and defense, yet they are too slow to be effective fighters...until now." The vines put the turtles into orange little pods, one for each. "When I use your DNA to mutate them..."_

" _Wait, stop!" Jitsu cried out as the girl clenched a fist. "I will not let you turn these innocent creatures into violent monsters!"_

 _Despite that, they mutated and Draxum chuckled. "I know I said I'd never fight again, but..." Jitsu broke free from his restraints, breaking out of his caage as well. "Hot soup!" He kicked the wall before kneeing Draxum in the face. He crashed near the turtles and they were released from their spots, landing near him._

" _What have you done?!"_

 _She ran over and scooped up the turtles in her hands, the two noticing her._

" _How did she-?!" Draxum stammered before charging at Lou Jitsu. The sounds of their fight got the attention of the sleeping gargoyles._

" _Munny, wake up," Huginn sat up with a start. "Do you hear that?"_

" _The sounds of violent clashing in the lab? No, I do not," He shook his head._

" _Come on! We gotta go help Baron Draxum! We don't wanna lose the plush life!" He grabbed Muninn, flying away from the dog bed. The girl stepped back, only for a purple vine to go flying towards her. Jitsu gasped at her._

" _Nooooo!" He jumped towards her, scooped her up in his arms, and landed a few feet away. She was slightly shaking as he put her down, kneeling to be at level with her._

" _How did you get here, child?" Jitsu asked her and she sniffled._

" _He killed my brother and sister today, so I followed him...and then I saw what he was gonna do with these turtles..." She showed the four little creatures in her hands. The red-eared slider was nuzzling at her thumb. "Are they...gonna be okay?"_

 _His eyes softened before he wiped at her eyes. "Yes. I will keep you safe, little one. We will survive! Stay here, be safe." She nodded as he patted her on the head, causing her to giggle a bit. Draxum leaped towards the two, Jitsu standing in front of the girl as he fought him off._

" _What can we do?" Muninn started to panic as they saw what was going on._

" _Nothing...but our buddy the pony can!" Huginn pressed a button that released the creature. "Destroy Lou Jitsu and that girl!"_

 _The pony instead took hold of the two, using them as chew toys. Then it threw them into the air and kicked them towards the main power source for what mutated the turtles. An explosion occurred, causing a fire._

" _What?" Draxum murmured in confusion. "No! My ooze!"_

 _The little girl threw a piece of cage at him, and he was sent flying across the room. Using this distraction, she ran as far as she could go, but she tripped from a plank of wood, landing flat on her face. The turtles went flying into the air and Jitsu caught them._

" _Precious little creatures...I will save you, little turtles!"_

 _The red-eared slider beamed up at him while the other creatures cried out from their prisons. Jitsu looked in horror at them. If someone didn't help these mutants, they'd go through who knows what...Draxum had already exterminated half a family; what was he gonna do next?_

 _He looked towards the red button across from him and broke it, setting all of them free. He took the rat out of his outfit. "You too, little-" The rat bit him again. "Why you little-!" He suddenly got sprayed with ooze, but the little girl wasn't affected as he stood over her. Claws and nasty feet started to form and he scooped up the girl in his other arm._

" _No!" Draxum shouted as he watched the group escape. The lab exploded into ashes, Draxum landing across from the damage thanks to Muninn and Huginn. "My life's work...!"_

" _We are so sorry...Lou Jitsu destroyed your lab. That's L-o-u J-I-t-su."_

" _But at least your loyal, hard-working gargoyles saved your life," Muninn reminded the alchemist. If they took the blame for this, he'd fire them for sure..."_

" _It will take years to rebuild...I must begin again," He clenched a fist, walking past them. "At least I managed to take her siblings away...I must get her focused, so that I may mutate her when the time is right...what are you waiting for? Up," He patted his shoulders, to the two gargoyles' delight._

" _Job security!" The two high-fived, flying away from the fire._

* * *

 _While trying to fight off the mutation as much as possible, he placed the unconscious girl down gently once they reached a safe place. The turtles stared at her curiously, the red-eared slider trying to reach out to her. He may be small, but he could sense that this girl needed some emotional comfort..._

 _Jitsu stroked the top of her head as she laid on his lap, not even stirring. He glanced towards the four little baby turtles._

" _We must get her to a hospital. There is nothing I can do for her..."_

 _He noticed the emergency phone, recognizing the hospital's symbol on it._

 _A few nurses were searching for the little girl, hollering out for her._

" _Alina!"_

" _Alina, where are you?"_

 _Jitsu landed in the alley nearby, laying Alina apparently gently. He placed his hand on her hair, sighing slowly._

" _I hope that one day...someone will help you, child. And that you grow up loved and strong. I must go...but thank you for helping me rescue these turtles."_

 _He jumped towards the rooftop, looking at her one last time. He picked up a rock and threw it onto a trash can to get their attention._

" _Perhaps we shall meet again...and maybe you'll end up dating one of them!" He chuckled at the turtles, leaving the area. The nurses rushed over to the noise to see the little girl laying in the alley._

" _Oh my god, what happened to her?!"_

" _She doesn't look hurt, but we should bring her in just to be sure."_

" _Well, whoever brought her here...they made sure that she was safe."_

"Oh, those were the days, huh?" Huginn asks Muninn as they're still trapped in the cage. "Shall we?" He picks the lock with his finger.

"You could've done that the whole time?"

"Yeah, I just wanted you to finish the flashback. Your stories make me warm inside."

"You know what makes me warm inside?"

"Tamales!" They both cheer in unison.

"Ooh, I wonder if Amelia makes tamales from time to time..."

* * *

Brit is doing math homework, annoying Amy on purpose as she's taking an order from the tablet. She wished that he would just never come back, but she can't ban him since his father is a business man...she might not care at first, but she is not risking getting sued by some old fart that wanted to date her mom.

"5 apples minus 1 apple minus 2 apples, she saves one for later..." He tries to think, but Ann speaks up as she's making little people made out of rice cereal treats.

"That apple is alone like you when your mother left."

Amy and Lily's mouths drop open at the savage comment. Brit gasps sharply at her, silently closing his book and leaving the building. Not even a hint of a threat that he'll do anything.

"Huh...I think I'll keep 'em for a while," Amy murmurs, glancing at the two.

* * *

Leo hums as they're at Central Park in a secluded area. Amy turns to stare at him. "What?"

"Just thinking about when I was a baby. I was freaking adorable," He smirks smugly and she rolls her eyes playfully. "Hey, that brings up the question. Why haven't I seen you as a baby? You don't have any baby pictures in your apartment."

She clears her throat, rubbing her neck. "Umm...I keep my baby pictures at my mom's place...but she has like a sixth sense for whoever touches them, so I haven't looked at them in years. Besides, I don't remember much after the accident. I just remember following after those vines and suddenly waking up in the hospital..."

She didn't know how she got there, but she was just glad that she was still alive. The nurses couldn't come up with a reason as to how she ended up unconscious in an alley, and since she couldn't remember much, she didn't really dwell on what could've possibly happened to her that day. Amy takes a deep breath.

"Everytime I even look at the albums, my mom goes crazy. So that's why I don't have any in my apartment."

He pouts at her. "What? Who does she think she is, a hypoc-"

She gives him a tiny glare and he clamps his mouth shut. "Umm, let's play two truths and a lie!"

"Okay." The stars are glowing in the night sky as Amy sits up from the grass. Leo has his arms behind his head as he turns to look at her. "So the biggest cake I've carried was 200 pounds, I have a gun license, and I have piercings."

"Hmm," Leo rubs his chin in thought. He sees her proud grin and smirks a bit. "Well, the gun thing is definitely true...and there's no way anything other than your ears are pierced." He takes a quick look at her ears before holding up his hands. "Okay okay, I'm going with the first one."

"Are you sure~?" Amy sings teasingly, but he doesn't catch on.

"Yes! That cake would weigh like a mountain, and I've seen your wallet," He crosses his arms, nodding.

"Wrong. The lie was the cake one. Heaviest was 150," Amy grins, Leo smacking his hands to the grass in shock.

"Shut up! You actually have piercings?! Why didn't you tell me?"

Amy giggles at his reaction. "You never asked, so I didn't think it'd ever come up."

"Where?" Leo asks curiously, fully sitting up and inspecting her. It obviously wasn't a second one on her ears, and she doesn't have any on her face...

"Why would I say where it is if you got it wrong? That's not how the game works!" She asks in disbelief. Not only that, she did not want him to see it until they were older. Especially since it's in a place that she can't show him without it getting...

Intimate.

"Well, you can't just tell me you have piercings and NOT say where it is. That's so cool you have one!"

"Really?" That was a first. She's been called many things, but cool? Suddenly it felt like she was in elementary school again when that girl wanted to hang out with her for the same reason. "Huh, I, uh, never heard that one before," She rubs her neck nervously, clearing her throat.

"So...does that guarantee a look at the piercings?" He asks hopefully, causing her to facepalm.

"NO! Ay dios mio. I got them when I changed my name, as a way to show that I was a new person. And that's all I'll say about the matter," She huffs, crossing her arms. It wasn't really that big of a deal. People got piercings all the time.

"Piercing or no piercing, you're still my lady. I don't think of you as otherwise cause I love you."

She smiles softly at him. "Aww...I love you too...That was a nice try, though. Answer is still no."

"Oh come on!" He complains, hitting the back of his head onto the grass in exasperation. She just laughs at him and he pounces on top of her, smirking as she's stopped. "I still got it."

"Get real. And don't even try to get a sneak peek."

"Who, me?" He asks innocently and she chuckles.

"But you should get off me. We're on grass and I don't like bugs."

"I can help with that." He bends down and connects their lips into a kiss. She smiles into it, taking hold of his hands.

 **Angel: Basically Amy didn't want to show him because it's nipple piercings, which means she would have to show her breasts XD**


	50. Flushed but Never Forgotten

**Angel: I don't know why, but they aired this and the next one back in October first instead of Man vs Sewer and The Mutant Menace. Maybe because it was the month of Halloween? Either way, they're still airing episodes out of order. If Nickelodeon wants to finish season 2 episodes, fine. But don't release em if season 1 wasn't even done!**

 **Also, this and Lair Games were the last episodes to air on Nickelodeon. *sighs wearily* Because it's only on Nicktoons now…**

 **This is exactly why I prefer Disney Channel, because they don't screw shows over!**

 **Also, there might be some continuity issues since they changed the episode order, which makes sense given the ending of End Game. I did go back and re-read this along with the other episode when I saw the new order, but if I missed any, let me know please, in a polite way! And that is also why I did not put Ann or Lily into this episode or the next one (because in my defense, I had no idea when I was gonna use them)**

" _And as the spring breakers ran screaming, the sharks swam all the way home, belly full and ready for a good night's sleep," Splinter read to his beloved pet goldfish, Piebald. He was sitting in his armchair, smiling happily. "The end." He ran a hand over her eyes and she closed them. "Aww. Nighty-night, my pwecious little Piebald."_

 _He placed the bowl on the table, kissing it lightly. The lights went out and she slept peacefully...until the turtles surrounded her in the shadows._

" _Psst, Piebald. Dad's gone. You ready to play? Hmm?" Raph asked teasingly as they were all wearing sports gear._

 _Piebald swam around happily._

" _Yeah!" Raph grabbed the bowl and he glared towards Mikey and Donnie._

" _Okay," Leo stood between them, holding a disc. "Goalie ready?"_

 _Piebald had gloves taped to her bowl, one of the gloves holding a hockey stick, with a hockey mask sitting in her bowl._

" _Ready, set go! Ha!" He tossed the disc and it went flying, the other three attempting to catch it, but failing. They all started fighting for it, Piebald's bowl flying into the air. She looked around as the bowl fell to the ground, causing all four to gasp. The fish safely landed into her bowl, causing them to sigh in relief...but then the bowl cracked and broke into pieces._

 _All of them screamed as she landed in a tiny puddle of water. "Piebald needs water, fast!" Mikey shouted, pointing towards the fish._

 _Donnie pulls out two defibrillators. "Quick, get me two billion molecules of diatomic-"_

 _Mikey and Leo pulled his arms away from Piebald. "Donnie..." Raph started off._

" _Not helping!" The three finished, glaring at him. He sighed in defeat as his brothers let him go._

" _You know, I wish you guys would take a greater interest in my science," Donnie ripped off the mask. "We're brothers, but sometimes it feels like we're just roommates."_

" _Donnie," Raph pointed at him. "If you don't cut it out with your middle child nonsense, I'm gonna shove your head in the-" He suddenly realized a solution to help Piebald. "The toilet!"_

 _Piebald swam around in the dirty toilet water. It was dirty, but still breathable for the goldfish nonetheless._

" _Good thinking, Raph," Mikey smiled proudly._

" _Bravo. Okay, so now that Piebald's safe, game on!" Leo declared, throwing the disc again. It hit the pipe, then Raph's shell, Donnie's face, and ricocheted around the bathroom. It finally hit the flush lever, causing sewer water to emit from the ceiling._

" _No!" Mikey cried out, reaching towards the toilet, trying to catch Piebald, but it was too late as she disappeared. "Piebald!"_

 _She cringed up at him._

Mikey suddenly opens his eyes as he's sitting in his bed. "Oh...it was just a dream, Mikey," He rubs at his face. "We lost her a long time ago, and Leo was right. Hiding the truth beats being in trouble." Something drips from his wall and he looks up, screaming at the message that reads:

 _You flush me, I flush you._

"Oh...it's just some new graffiti." He places his blanket over himself. "That won't give me nightmares...huh?" He then notices the mirror, and reads the graffiti again, since it was written backwards on the wall. "You flush me, I flush you."

Mikey lets out another scream, running out of bed and heading towards Smith's Sweets.

* * *

Amy is sleeping peacefully in her bed, smiling as she dreams about her and Leo officially being an item. However, they still hadn't told the others yet. The two were trying to find the right time, which was difficult to do with all the Shredder stuff lately. After all, at first glance, it's hard to believe that they're officially a couple. Because...well...

It was obvious.

Amy didn't seem like the type to have a romantic relationship with anyone, and Leo was a wise-cracking younger turtle. Most of the time, it also seemed like Amy was trying to set them straight, rightfully so sometimes, and it usually never works. The two are complete, total opposites. Deep down, though...Leo is the only one who can break her tough-as-nails personality. And she's the only one who can make sure that both of them don't get into trouble, when it works.

And actually, she couldn't wait to see him again. She feels...excitement, one that's different from when she's hanging out with the others. It's weird to feel that way because it's Leo, but she liked that feeling. She liked feeling anything that she hadn't experienced for almost six years given her lifestyle at home. It was thrilling to be able to feel these emotions again after so long, even if she has to talk some sense into her friends once in a while.

Now she just has to find a way to tell her close friends that she has a turtle for a boyfriend, one that they'll never believe she'd consider dating, if ever...

Mikey bursts into her room, shaking her violently. "Amy! Come to my room, quick!"

"Mikey," She mumbles in sleep, throwing her pillow over her head. "I told you, stop coming over for me to help you with nightmares. You really should lay off the horror movies once in a while."

"No! Well..." He takes a moment to think. Maybe he could stop watching those movies for a while if she had to remind him without even opening her eyes... "No! It's becoming real! Pleaseeeee!" He begs, clasping his hands together with a pleading look.

"Why do you always come to me first anyway?" She mutters, rubbing a hand across her face as her hair is a tangled mess.

"Because you're like my older sister!" He exclaims, hugging her from behind. "You always look after me and help me even when I annoy the heck out of you! And you're way more mature than Raph is since he always teases me with stuff like this!"

"I just had to be a few months younger than Raph," She mutters, sitting up with a small sigh. "Fine. I'll go with you, but this is the last time!"

* * *

"Wait!" Mikey stammers once she and Leo are standing behind him in his room. She rubs at her eyes, seeing his wall has nothing on it, unlike he described to her on the way over here. By the way he told it, it seemed believable, but now she feels like an idiot for letting herself get dragged all the way down into the sewers for nothing. He's lucky that she's not working later on today, or else she'd really let him have it.

"Why am I not getting my beauty z's right now?" Leo yawns, stretching his arms and putting one over Amy's shoulder. "And he roped you into this too? My poor baby," He kisses her cheek with puckered lips and she rolls her eyes playfully.

"I had the feeling he wouldn't leave my room until I caved," She murmurs, letting out another yawn and giggling as he keeps kissing her cheek. "Stop it!"

"That is nasty!" Leo gives an annoyed look towards his brother for ruining the moment. "It was right here," Mikey insists to them. "I-I swear. It said, 'you flush me, I flush you.' She's back and—and—and she's mad at us!"

"Shh. I know you're not talking about the thing we talked about never talking about," Leo gives him an intense look. After the accidental flushing, Leo convinced his brothers not to tell the truth. Not only because it would crush their father's spirits, but because it was their fault that she got flushed. And they hadn't thought about Piebald since.

"It's Pie-"

Leo covers his mouth. "Not here," He drags Mikey away and they meet the others under the pouring rain on a rooftop.

"You gotta believe me!" Mikey tells them. "Piebald's back. She's after us because we flushed her!"

"Relax," Raph speaks up, wearing a retainer headset over his teeth. "I'm not a scientist, but this is 100 percent just your guilt glands secreting guilt-zymes into your central guilt-us system."

"I can't take him seriously with that thing on," Amy stifles a laugh, shaking her head. Leo has an umbrella over the two of them, so that his lady wouldn't get sick in the rain. But even if she did get sick, he'd drop everything and take care of her no matter what she says.

"Raph is right. He is not a scientist," Donnie has his arms crossed. "But separately, he's also right that this Piebald jazz is in your head," He flicks Mikey on the head.

"No, it's not!" Mikey tries to tell them again. "We have to tell Dad the truth."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," Leo says quickly, pushing him away. "We're not telling Dad anything. Look, we all miss her, but a year ago, we stood on this roof and decided-"

" _You_ decided," Mikey points an accusing finger at him.

" _We_ decided to replace Piebald with an identical goldfish so Dad's heart wouldn't be broken."

"You replaced her with a rock," Amy deadpans to him.

"He wins, we win, and Piebald wins," Leo grins, pointing to Amy. "And you swore also not to tell him when we gave you the story!"

"Because it happened a month before I met you," Amy elaborates, glancing up at him. "I didn't approve of your decision then, and I still don't now, but I understand why you don't wanna tell him."

"Piebald got flushed is what we should tell him!" Mikey cries out. Donnie and Raph push down his head.

"Uh, if I may. Leo's idea about the whole not getting into trouble thing—very convincing," Donnie replies, Raph nodding in agreement.

"I second that."

Leo turns to Amy and she rolls her eyes. "Yes, I won't tell him. I may not like it, but I'm not gonna go back on my word." If it was something that would hurt Splinter, she didn't want to do that to him. Plus, she keeps her promises, always even if it was something that people should deserve to know about. However, she'd set the turtles on the right path if it was something incredibly stupid and tell them right to their faces if she had to.

"Looks like everyone agrees with me that we renew our pact of secrecy, and never tell Dad the truth," Leo smiles, holding out his hand. "One two three, let's go."

"Yada, yada, yada, eternal silence," Raph says as they all place their hands on top of each other. Mikey suddenly takes a hold of Amy's hand, surprising her.

"Huh?"

"Hey!" Leo immediately exclaims, "Mikey, let go of her-"

He realizes that Raph and Donnie are within view, and they're staring at him weirdly. Right now, he was acting like a jealous boyfriend, and not like someone who is supposed to pretend that he's not dating Amy. The girl gives him a look that says 'Don't do it.'

"I mean, w-what you doing there, Miguel?"

"Amy, hold me! I'm scared!" Mikey cries out, hugging her arm.

"Calm down, Mikey," Amy tells him, trying to ease him.

"Please!"

She sighs, glancing at Leo and nodding. "Alright." People might ask why she gives into him so easily; probably because he almost reminds her of her little sister...

Someone is watching them from the shadows while Leo is giving Mikey a slightly jealous look. That should be him wrapped around Amy, not his little brother.

"Amy, are you sure we shouldn't tell him?" Mikey looks up at her.

"No, but I'm not gonna challenge what was decided before we met each other," She explains to him, biting her lip. "I wasn't there, Mikey, remember? And like I said, I keep my word regardless if I disapprove."

"Back to the lair, guys!" Raph declares as a mutant wearing a dark cape is eyeing them, giving Amy the most glances. She narrows her eyes as bubbles come from her mouth.

* * *

Mikey is playing video games in the living room while everyone else has gone to sleep. Amy decided to stay the night in case Mikey decided to wake her up again. The youngest turtle sighs at Hot Soup: The Game on the screen.

"Maybe they're right...you just need to relax," He tells himself.

"Player two has entered the game!" A voice announces, but no one else is around.

"Huh?" He turns to the other controller in confusion.

"You flushed me," The controller wiggles on its own. "I flush you!" The same message appears on the game, causing him to shake in fear. The screen flickers before showing a dark forest and a toilet. A shadow lifts out of the toilet, the shadow moving around and laughing evilly at Mikey. He lets out a scream, running into the skate park.

"Don't flush me!" He runs with his eyes closed, bumping into Raph. Leo and Donnie are brushing their teeth.

"What?" Leo asks in annoyance, putting his toothbrush back in his mouth. Amy is standing next to him, fixing up her hair into a bun.

"It's Piebald! She's after me!" He cries out to them.

"Forget that name," Leo tells him sharply, "Does the pact of secrecy mean nothing to you? Bros, my lady~ I say we lock Mikey up till morning."

"What?!"

"Yes," Donnie nods in agreement.

"Yeah."

"No!" Mikey crawls up to Amy, hugging her waist. "Big sister, please don't let them lock me up!"

"Mikey, get off please," She tries to push him off, but he has a strong grip.

"Genius idea, Leo."

"Fantastic. My lady agrees," Leo gestures to her.

"Uh, that wasn't me talking," Amy says in confusion and they turn to the graffiti wall, where two eyes pop out of Amy's stargazer lily picture. Then a goldfish reveals herself.

"Hey guys, it's me, Piebald!" She fully reveals herself, "Remember? We used to be friends. But you replaced me with a human and now I wanna flush you!"

"I didn't replace you!" Amy shouts at her as everyone else besides Leo screams at her appearance. "I didn't even know about you until a few months later, Piebald. I didn't even want to keep it a secret, but I promised them."

"Okay, so she's a mutant," Leo says, Raph pulling the two away. They slowly run away into the tunnel, bumping into things along the way. Piebald stares after them intensely.

"Ah, I don't know what's more unsettling, the giant goldfish, or the possibility that Mikey may be right," Donnie bites his fingers, shaking in fear.

"And did you see her camouflage power? Class A," Leo couldn't help but admit.

"She's after us and Amy personally because we flushed her and covered it up. She thinks that we replaced her with Amy! Guys, we have to tell Dad the truth," Mikey shakes, hugging himself and Leo pushes him down.

"No way! The only responsible thing is to get rid of her before Dad finds out and then go back to pretending this never happened."

Amy crosses her arms at him. "Coming from someone who's older, that's not responsible, that's ridiculous. You can't just make her go away to solve the problem."

"Dove," He whispers, leaning in towards her. "I love you, and you know I respect your opinions, but I know what I'm doing."

"Solid solution, Leo," Raph states, Piebald's bowl being placed in front of them.

"Hello, fish food!"

The turtles let out a scream, Amy pinching her nose at her friends. Splinter stares at them through the bowl. "What? Just grabbing a late night snack for my sweet, precious Piebald." He throws fish food into the bowl, where a rock is sitting there with googly eyes. "Say, why do you look like you have something to confess?"

They all gasp, eyes widening as they're all directing towards Mikey. The four decide to keep themselves busy so that Splinter doesn't suspect anything else different, the youngest sweating a lot. He stares at the fake Piebald, the guilt eating at him.

" _You will pay for this! And I will make sure that you never replace me again!_ "

"Don't you rat us out to the rat," Leo warns him as he can feel Mikey starting to crack. He looks at Splinter giving him a raised eyebrow, and then at the rock, one of the eyes falling.

"Dad," He stands up, hands on the table. "The truth is..."

The rat stops feeding 'Piebald,' waiting for an answer. Mikey whimpers, playing with his hands. "We-I, uh—we—I-"

"Snitches get stitches," Leo whispers, holding a frying pan in his hands. Amy snatches it from him and lightly whacks him on the head. "Oww."

"And secret boyfriends don't threaten to hit their brothers with kitchen utensils," Amy hisses lightly at him. "And after I bake so many things for you. For shame! What's next, you're gonna replace my pet pig if he ever gets lost with you?"

"No, of course not!" He assures her, leaning in towards Donnie. "Quick, when she leaves, replace the rock that looks like a pig."

A small fart is heard. "I tooted..." Mikey looks away guilty and Amy puts the pan back into place.

"Ugh, back to beddy-bye, Piebald," Splinter walks away with the bowl. Leo sighs in relief.

"Way to throw Dad off the scent," He places an arm around his brother, who is frowning towards the ground. He sniffs the air. "Oh, you weren't joking," Leo pushes Mikey away. Amy takes one sniff and covers her nose.

"Eww. Guys, if you keep this up, she'll come after me for the misunderstanding," She stares at all of them. "Since the mutation gave her the ability to talk, can't we just tell her what happened?"

"No! Okay, let's suit up, stat!" Raph orders them, Leo and Donnie saluting. Some of the spit lands on Amy.

"Dude, say it, don't spray it."

The rest of the kitchen utensils fall on them, putting them on alert. They decide to use them as weapons against her, Amy pulling out her gun and readying the shells. "She could be behind us or in front of us. Mellie, no guns!" Raph holds a ladle in his hand. Amy grins at him.

"I was only kidding," She puts it away.

"The only thing we know for sure is she's not right here." A hook appears in front of him, and drags him away.

"Agreed, and Mikey, you did the right thing not telling Dad. In the end, lifetime of guilt and regret will be its own reward," The same hook suddenly snatches him away and Amy suddenly drops the whisk, eyes widening. Guilt and regret...things that she felt when her father passed away in her eyes...she snaps out of it. She was only a child back then, there was nothing she could've done.

Leo laughs a little. "Well said, Donnie."

Piebald lands behind the three. "You're not off the hook yet!"

Their eyes widen, turning around to face Piebald, but they don't see her. A bubble appears out of nowhere, heading towards the trio. They just stare at it as it gets closer. Piebald suddenly pops it with her face, scaring even Amy as the three scream. They slide around the corner.

"Flee!" Leo tells the two.

"Ohmigosh!" Mikey yells as Amy trails behind them.

"You know, I never thought I'd be scared of a fish until today! This is why I hate seafood!"

They hide themselves in the Turtle Tank, locking all doors and windows. Both turtles are whimpering, hugging Amy close. She gives a slightly annoyed look.

"Do guys think I'm a teddy bear or something?"

"We have to go back for our brothers," Mikey gestures towards outside. "Or are you gonna replace them, too?"

Leo looks up from a rock, glue, and googly eyes. Amy facepalms at him as he looks like a deer in headlights.

"When will the lies end?!" Mikey demands to him.

"I don't lie, I just change the truth," Leo explains, the brunette scoffing.

"You do realize that's the same thing as lying." At the back of her head, she wonders if he'd ever replace her too.

"And you will keep your mouth shut," Leo grabs Mikey by the collar, pointing at him. Amy slaps his hand away when something bangs on the door. The window shimmies open and the two mutants shake, feeling fear again. "Who-who's there?" Leo stammers nervously, teeth chattering from the both of them. "Donnie? Santa?"

There's no answer, which doesn't ease them as someone appears behind Amy. "Buddies!"

They all scream before noticing that it's Frankenfoot, Raph's origami ninja sparring partner. "Wait," Mikey looks out the window.

"Buddies! Mellie!" He cries out happily.

"Frankenfoot!" Mikey yells, opening up the window. "Frankenfoot, quick, get inside," He pulls him inside, "There's a mutant goldfish."

Before Amy could close the door, Frankenfoot is pulled outside and the door closes. "Whoa!" Mikey hides in his shell, Leo grabbing him and Amy.

"Out the floor hatch, fast!" He throws his brother into a hole in the floor and he falls inside, jumping into the hatch with Amy. They fall through the floor, ending up underneath the Turtle Tank.

"Caught ya, confetti boy!" Piebald laughs as Frankfenfoot is shredded into pieces.

"Oh no!" Some tears fall from Leo's eyes as Amy has her mouth wide open in shock.

"Ninja crawl-jitsu," Leo pushes Mikey across the floor, Amy crawling next to him. The two scream before Mikey gets caught in the hook, getting dragged away into the darkness.

"LEOOO! AMYYYY!"

"Mikey!" The two shout.

"Okay...keep your wits, keep your charm, and do what any mature and brave individual would," Leo crawls out of the Turtle Tank with Amy. "We're gonna tell him!"

"Oh finally," Amy murmurs in relief, rubbing a temple.

Leo bursts through the doors of Splinter's room. "Daddy!" He then sees Splinter hanging from the ceiling by a hook. "Papa!"

Two eyes appear as Piebald reveals herself again. "The flushing is nigh!"

"...Huh?" Leo asks in confusion, realizing he doesn't know what that means. Amy shakes her head at him, not even bothering to tell the turtle herself.

"Nigh means soon, kid. Read a book. Can't believe you're his girlfriend, Amy."

She suddenly disappears, Leo stammering in shock and looking around, but there's nothing in sight.

"Wait, how does she know about us?!" Amy asks in surprise, her mouth wide open. She didn't know Piebald back then, and they weren't even going out at the time; so how'd she find out?

"Oh boy," Leo lets out a small sigh. A trail of bubbles comes from the tunnels as they peek outside. "Okay, no time to think this through. My family needs me. You were right, dove, it's not the right thing to do by not telling Pops."

Going out into the sewers, the two sneak around the corner, following the bubbles. "Look out, Piebald, the saving is nigh," He suddenly smiles at Amy. "I learned book words!"

She chuckles and the smile drops once they see a rope in the distance. Piebald can be heard laughing as the others are tied up, dangling over a whirlpool of sewer water.

"Once I find the bluefin and dispatch of the angelfish, it's flushing time," She sings, holding a hook for them to see. "You know what a scream sounds like underwater?" She gurgles in imitation of herself when she fell.

"Okay," Leo presses his shell against the wall. "I should've thought this through. Come on, Leo. Think." He places his hands over his face, which have gray paint over them. He looks at his hands, getting an idea. "Piebald may have camouflage, but I have pajama-flage," He covers himself in paint, grinning as he glances behind him.

Amy also covers herself up with paint, Leo glancing at her. "Hm..."

"What?"

"Seeing you camouflaged...I think I'm falling in love with you all over again."

"Oh really?" She smirks a little before dropping it. "How do I know you're not just changing the truth again?"

"Huh?!" He blinks rapidly, "I-I..."

"Are you gonna replace me too someday?" She murmurs, looking away. She knew she wasn't wasting time; Piebald said so herself that once she finds them, she'll flush them, so technically they're not in danger right now. If something ever happened to her that she'd might not be with them anymore...would Leo find someone else? She wouldn't be able to deal with that...especially after what she did to Draxum…

Leo cups her cheeks with his hands, staring at her right in the eye. "Hey. No matter what happens to you, no matter what you do, say, or think...you're still Alina Elisa Santiago, and you will always be my girl even if you somehow manage to die before I do. I would never replace anyone like you, ever."

Her eyes start to get watery from the sweet words that he just said to her. She grabs his shoulders and crashes his lips to hers in a deep, heartfelt kiss. Leo is a bit startled before he starts kissing her back, hugging her waist tightly. They temporarily forget that Piebald is threatening the others because at that moment, they don't seem to care or mind and just continue their moment.

"What did we ever do to deserve thi-oh, right, right, the flushing," Donnie corrects himself as Piebald jumps away from them.

"You dumb disc-slingers flushed me alive and replaced me with an imposter so my own loving father didn't know I was missing. Not to mention you got a sister! Who does that?! I was lost and alone and some trash wizard tried to eat me. But my flavor was too robust, and I escaped. I was forced to embrace the sewer circle of life and eat things I am not proud of."

Apparently, when she was flushed a year ago, she wandered around in the waters. The trash wizard that the turtles and Amy met while trying to deal with returning the DVD tried to eat her, but then threw her up back into the sewers. As soon as she left his stomach, she ate an oozesquito a few moments later, turning her into who she is today.

"Now you losers can feel what it's like to be mutants and live in the sewers."

"That's already our thing," Leo speaks up from above. He and Amy had stopped making out a few moments ago. "Surprise attack, nigh!"

The two jump, covered in paint. "What the-" She glances over her shoulder, using her camouflage to disappear. Amy and Leo roll down the grate, the paint flying off them.

"Huh?" Leo lifts his head up, only to see a hook in front of them.

"Now that the whole family's here, it's time for my flushing revenge! But thank you for bringing her to me," She points her hook at Amy, who backs away a bit. "Now you can watch her perish!"

"We never meant to flush you, and we didn't replace her with you. We met her a month later! It was an accident, honest. How about we make it up to you with a nice dinner out? Sushi? I mean fish and chips, er, branzino? Why can't I stop suggesting fish?! Oh, I got it, Amy can make you a dessert!"

"Why are you bringing me into this?!" Amy gestures to herself.

Piebald laughs as she raises her arm, swinging at them. Leo grabs the hook, looking up towards the awake Splinter.

"Sorry, Dad. It was me who made everyone keep the secret from you. And when we met Ames, she was against it when we told her, but I made her lie too." He manages to lift the hook away from his face. "Flush me and let my family go, and don't hurt Ames either."

Piebald just laughs at the offer. "Let your family go. I love that idea," She cuts off the net, causing them to fall towards the whirlpool. Piebald grabs Amy, pressing the hook against her neck, the girl growing pale at the weapon in front of her.

"I love you guys!" Leo cries out as he tries to reach for the rope, but suddenly it cracks and it lifts them up into the air, placing the four back on the bridge. Piebald releases the brunette. "Huh?" Leo gasps as he sees them, laughing as he and Amy share a group hug with them.

Splinter suddenly laughs, confusing them. "And that is why you always tell the truth."

Piebald laughs along with them, pointing at the group. "Got ya! You should see your faces."

"Wait, what?"

"What did—you-"

"Did-"

"After a year, I made my way home, only to find a googly-eyed rock living in my fishbowl," Piebald holds up the fake fish in the bowl. "Poor form, guys."

"I was shocked to discover you boys had lied to me and roped Amelia into it. So we planned this whole thing to teach you a lesson," Splinter grins at them, Raph mostly unamused.

"I...don't know...how to feel now," Mikey admits slowly.

"Wait a minute!" Amy shouts, standing up in shock. "You pointed a hook at me to teach me what?"

"Oh, nothing," Splinter shrugs at her. "Just incentive for not telling me. I know you always keep your word, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't say anything."

She stammers in disbelief, eyes twitching in...well, she didn't know how she should feel. "My children, you know I love you, but you only remember lessons when you learn from them the hard way," Splinter crosses his arms, shaking his head. "So, remember, lying is bad, and Dad is good. Night, night!" He turns around, showing that Frankenfoot is actually okay and not in pieces.

"Buddies! Mellie!"

Piebald points at them, winking. "Later, turds. Oh, and don't worry, Amy, I appreciate what you've done for them and trying not to get them in trouble. But, you and Leo should really tell them about you two."

They stand in there in silence, unsure of what to do now. One thing they can take away from this, is that they'll never lie to Splinter again. Amy is still shocked, however.

"Did...I just get played by Splinter and a mutant fish?" She murmurs slowly. They actually had her thinking that Piebald was gonna hurt her as part of her plot of revenge. Amy couldn't help but slow clap, impressed by their plan. "That...was good."

Leo glances at her and pulls the girl away from the others. "What is it?" She looks up at Leo, who takes a deep breath.

"Lying is what caused all of this...I could've lost you," He frowns at her. "From now on, I won't lie to you. And...I'm sorry I asked you to keep a secret from Pops."

She just smiles, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You might be a compulsive liar, but you're still you. I wouldn't ask for less."

He grins and hears someone clear their throat. Turning around, they see the smug looks of the others. "What are you two doing, hm?" Raph asks playfully. Just because they think, or rather just Raph and Donnie, that the two would never be a couple doesn't mean they can't tease them.

"Nothing," They both deny at the same time.


	51. Lair Games

A camera pans over to Raph, who's sitting in his room. "Okay, we're rolling. So, tell me, what are the Lair Games?" April asks curiously.

"Ah, well, it started six years ago," Raph starts off, "When we got swept up in the water bottle challenge."

 _O'Neil Productions Presents_

"The Lair Games are the single greatest day of the year!" Mikey exclaims from his hammock. "It's better than Halloween, Thanksgiving, my birthday..."

"It's a one day," Raph holds up a finger. "16 event, brother-versus-brother competition. But this time, we have our first female competitor this year, Alina Elisa Santiago!"

"I just wanna say, for the record, that I'm only doing this because Raph wouldn't stop bugging me," Amy crosses her arms, sitting in a chair in front of the skate park. "Last year I didn't even compete because I had other priorities."

And by other priorities, she means work.

 _An April O'Neil Production_

"Uh, me finding a quarter day, me finding a quarter anniversary day," Mikey continues listing days.

"It challenges you," Raph smirks towards the camera. "Both physically and mentally." He throws up a water bottle in the air and it lands on a pipe. He nods curtly towards April. "And this year was the craziest year ever..."

 _The Lair Games, A film by April O'Neil_

"As is tradition," Splinter announces as he's the referee. Leo is standing next to him up on stage, wearing medals. "At the annual Lair Games, the winner of last year's-"

"As five-time champ, I'd like you all to stand while I speak," He interrupts his father, hands behind his back.

"Ugh, losing to Leo is the worst," Raph couldn't help but comment in disgust. "You know how they say act like you've been there before? Leo never read that book."

"Yeah," Amy puts her right leg over her left one. "One of the things Leo always mentions to me is how he's 'crushed' his brothers for the past five years. Most of the time, I just pretend to listen and put on my earplugs before I laugh at his jokes."

"When was that?" April asks suspiciously, Amy's eyes widening in alarm.

"D-Don't know what you're talking about," She darts her eyes from left to right. She's the sane one, and she almost gave away her secret relationship!

"When I say king, you say Leo," Leo hollers into the microphone, to the annoyance of Splinter. "King!" He holds out the mic to them, but no one reacts. "Leo! That was great. Okay, but enough about my numerous victories—there are many. This year, in an effort to inspire you to be as great as I am..."

Donnie grumbles, rolling his eyes as April is recording in the background. Leo winks at Amy, which April just happened to catch. Both he and Amy cringe before he snaps out of it.

"I'm offering up the biggest prize yet: My room. AKA, the best room."

His brothers' eyes widen as their mouths are open in shock. Now one of them had to win.

Leo has on a robe and sunglasses as he moves away the curtain to the entrance. He has medals on a shelf.

"It wasn't about the room. It was about taking something away from him. Something he loves," Raph's eyes get crazy at the thought of Leo crying when he loses!

"Man, we were just tired of losing," Mikey complains in his room. "And no one lost worse than Donnie."

"I hate to say this, but Donnie is probably the most uncoordinated when it comes to strength, skill, and...yeah, just about everything," Amy shrugs at April. "And trust me, it is so obvious!"

 _Donnie tried to slice a watermelon in half last year, screaming in pain. "Ow!"_

 _Leo chuckled at him._

 _And then 2 years prior, when he tried to throw pizza, it landed on his face._

 _Last year, he tried kicking the fruit and yet ended up falling flat on his back, to the amusement of Leo._

 _And then the first year, he just cowered, hugging himself on the floor as he was surrounded by beach balls, wearing glasses on his face._

 _Leo chortled as Donnie brought in his bo staff, trying to use his rocket on the watermelon and failing. He was planted against the ramp, flying around uncontrollably. Leo laughed his head off at this, falling on the floor._

"No one wanted Leo to chump them again this year," Raph shakes his head. "We were ready for war..."

"Ladies and gentlemen," Splinter says into a microphone of his own. "Reporting to you live on the scene from our first event, the Handstand Hill-Bomb."

Shelldon gets close-ups from the ramp as the five contestants do a handstand on top of skateboards. The stop light goes off and they slide off the top.

"And they're off! Ooh, it looks like someone has separated themselves from the pack."

Leo gets a head start. "Down the stretch they come...and...it's...blue," Splinter sags his shoulders as Leo passes the finish line. "Ugh," He rips up a piece of paper. "I knew I shouldn't have bet on red. Now I owe Pink 20 bucks!"

Leo steps up to the camera to show himself. "I may be bald, but call me the hare because I smoke tortoises!"

"In second...purple?!" Donnie speeds right past them, to the shock of Leo. "I can't believe it! This is unprec-" Leo snatches the microphone from him, putting it in front of his mouth.

"Second place, huh? What's that feel like?" He presses the mic to Donnie's face.

"Nardo, please don't," Donnie warns him.

"Because I only get first," Leo brags, dropping the mic on top of Donnie's head. He frowns at this.

"Second, baby!" He jumps up in his chair while April gets his confession in the lab.

"Donnie got second! And I was like, am I dreaming?" Raph asks in shock.

"Sci-fi turtle seems to be full of surprises," Amy blinks at April. "Never expected that of him based on what the guys told me."

"And what was that?" April questions her.

"That Donnie basically blows and that Leo can be a competitive jack-ass."

"Amy! Language!" Her friend warns the brunette.

"What? I'm not wrong," Amy defends herself.

"I just got second," Donnie sings while doing a victory dance. "I just got second!" He does a trumpet from the bust of his own head.

"...It wasn't a great start for me," Mikey chuckles nervously, because he landed face-plant into the finish line somehow. On the score board, each contestant goes up a little on scores.

"And it's a clear, indoor day," Splinter reports as they're in the sewers now. "Conditions are ideal, as we begin event number two...Pipe Goop Chicken."

"My signature event," Leo stands proudly as Splinter is wearing a hazmat suit. Amy raises a brow at it. "The goop that separates the turtles from the tadpoles."

"Uh, that's not exactly-"

"The mice from the rat," Leo interrupts him, his mask tails landing on Raph's face. He blows them away.

"Yeah again, you're wrong," Donnie informs his brother as they're all laying down in front of a pipe.

"Who's gonna flinch first? Wow, well, my money's on Donnie," Leo puts an arm around Amy next to him. She smacks his hand off, glancing around for April.

"Three, two, one," Splinter turns the valve and the pipe above them begins to shake.

"Pizza supreme in the sky, please give me strength," Raph prays as Leo is laughing. The pipe sputters out smoke before green slime comes out of it. Leo grins widely while Donnie gives a nervous look. Amy's eyes widen at the substance. "Ohh, it's too gross. I can't do it!" Raph immediately leaves.

"My face is too pretty to be slimed!" Mikey runs off, hugging Splinter.

"Final three."

"Time to tap out, brother. Time to remember who you are," Leo and Donnie are both sweating as they stand their ground. Amy cringes towards it.

"You first, brother," Donnie glares at Leo. The large drop of slime is about to hit their faces.

"It's your last chance," Leo chuckles nervously, the softshell breathing heavily. Leo whimpers before he and Amy back out. "No!"

"Blue's out! Purple wins?" Splinter says in surprise. April zooms in on Donnie's face.

"YES! I w-" The slime suddenly lands all over his body.

"Omigosh!" Mikey shouts as the others join him.

"Grossss, it's in his mouth!" Amy complains, looking away in disgust.

"The guy who wears gloves to read his comics got gooped!" Raph exclaims in shock.

"Literally, the taste of victory was horrible," Donnie states, looking around. "But figuratively, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom."

"You should've seen the look on his face," Mikey pulls up his stereo, pressing play. "It was then I knew we were witnessing history!"

"It was literally the most disgusting thing I've ever seen," Amy deadpans to the camera. "It was so gross, I wouldn't even wish that on my enemies! ...Okay, maybe some."

Next is pizza darts, where Donnie gets a bullseye and Leo barely hits the middle. Donnie's given the win.

"Donnie won three in a row. He was next level," Raph recalls as Mikey claps his giddy brother.

Dizzy race is when they spin around in a chair to see who can be spun around and go across a small race. "But Leo..." Mikey chuckles as Leo presses the red button. "He wasn't going down without a fight."

"I've honestly never seen either of them so determined," Amy couldn't help but comment.

Mallow Mouth, neither Donnie or Leo win, but Raph does. He has more marshmallows than all of them.

"I can fit a whole fist in my mouth," Raph says eagerly. Mallow Mouth is his event, just like Leo's is Pipe Goop Chicken. "Wanna see?" He opens up his mouth.

"I mean, nothing ever phases Leo. But that day, Donnie was getting to him."

"So we agreed, no questions about the incident, right?" Leo asks as he's sitting in Splinter's armchair.

"Of course!" April sucks her teeth. "Please...Leo, tell me about the incident."

Leo gives an annoyed look before standing up and walking off. April giggles into the camera.

The 'incident' happened during Fridge Balance, proudly sponsored by Bro's Pizza. It's the second-to-last event, with Mikey, Raph, and Amy already down.

"Going into the penultimate event, Fridge Balance, I knew I had it," Donnie explains to April. "It was my day, and when it's your day, you gotta ride it. As the great Bard once said, to thy known self, beat Leo!"

"And that's when Leo fell...or did he?" Mikey asks suspiciously.

"So you think he did it on purpose," April zooms in on Mikey, who glances around to make sure Leo's not listening. He then nods in confirmation.

"If Purple wins this event, it will be almost impossible for Blue to catch up," Splinter is in a sports caster outfit, his hair all slicked up. Leo's things on his nose start tilting. "Oh no, Blue is starting to wobble."

Leo sweats nervously as he tries to balance everything, but he eventually trips and bumps into Donnie. Both of them are on top of each other, Splinter examining them.

"Purple hit the ground first. Blue wins!"

"Yeah!" Leo cheers, Donnie gritting his teeth at him...why? Because a pineapple is stuck on his ankle.

"It was Leo! He did it on purpose!"

"I'm only talking to you to set the record straight. I didn't do it on purpose. I mean, how could I? I had half a fridge on my chin! This is just like the Salisbury Witch Trials!" Leo defends himself on camera, pushing it away.

"That was over 400 years ago!" Amy calls out to him off screen.

"At least I'm innocent!" He calls back, balling up his fists.

"Are you really? You're just as a competitive bastard like last year!"

He bites his lip in frustration, storming over to her. He pulls her into his room, closing the curtain in front of April. Off-camera, the two are making out.

"The Salisbury Witch Trials," Donnie glances away.

"Donnie," Leo nervously puts a hand on his shoulder as Donnie is screaming in pain. "Donnie, are you okay?"

"There's a pineapple on his leg!" Amy gestures to the injury, sticking out her tongue in disgust. "Oh my gosh, it looks like a giant zit!"

"You did this!" Donnie accuses his brother, "You'll do anything to win! My ankle! My moment!"

"I heard it pop..." Donnie looks up towards the ceiling, "I thought it was all over...everything I worked for. Everything I dreamed ab-I-I'm sorry. Can I have a moment?" Donnie covers his eyes with his hands, sobbing.

"I don't think Leo did it," Amy says to April, her hair all messy from her private session with the turtle. Needless to say, her state raises suspicion in her.

"Hiding something?" Leo chuckles nervously when she asks him. "We're not hiding something! I don't even know who Amy is!"

"I'm not in a secret relationship with Leo," Amy laughs, crossing her arms. "I-I don't even notice him at any point."

"Oh really? Then you won't mind telling us what you two were doing in his room."

Her eyes widen and she scoffs. "Going over my rec-" She suddenly throws a smokebomb into the camera.

"HEY!" April shouts as the girl runs off.

Donnie sighs, laying down in the garage with a broken leg, a cast over it. "At that point...it looked like it was over for Donnie...HA! Did you see his ankle?" Raph starts laughing.

"It was huge!" Mikey places his hands on his cheeks. "I thought we should amputate."

"I managed to talk them out of amputation, since none of us are qualified. And Donnie may tell you he is, but don't believe him on that," Amy points a finger towards the camera.

"So, are you gonna tell me about Leo now?"

The brunette gives a blank look before showing her middle finger to April, walking off.

"I'm censoring that!" April calls out.

The final event is shell bowling, but Amy doesn't have a shell, so she has to wear one of Donnie's.

"It was over! Leo had it again!"

Leo blows kisses before he jumps off. "Jump!" His limbs disappear into his shell and he rolls onto the ramp.

"New year, same result," Raph deadpans as Leo gets a ten.

"A second year of bragging and me tuning him out."

"Another perfect ten for blue," Splinter says while sitting on a floatie. Amy had already gone and got an 8 as the brothers reluctantly clap. "And with purple unable to bowl-"

"Not so fast, my friend!" Their eyes widen as they look up at the top of the ramp, smoke appearing. Donnie reveals himself, wearing an IV and a cast. "I'm here, brother. Let's bowl..."

"When Donnie showed up, I was like, whaaaaaa-"

"Aaaa," Mikey continues for Raph.

"Aaaa."

"Aaat?" Mikey finally finishes.

"You know, looking back, that wasn't worth the long pause," Amy says into the camera.

Donnie drags his broken leg while walking, stepping up the edge.

"Uhh," Leo clenches his fists.

"I bet you were scared, huh?" April asks him.

"Scared? Me? I'm never scared," Leo immediately denies. "Is Lou Jitsu scared of, uh, cold soup? No, no. Scared?" Yet he glances away in slight fear.

"So, while I have you here...what are you and Amy hiding?!"

"Nothing!" Leo says sharply. "If we were hiding something, we would've told you. I will say that she definitely doesn't beat me on looks."

One of Amy's shoes is thrown at him from off-screen and he falls to the floor.

"Donnie needs a ten to win," Splinter announces, Donnie taking a deep breath. He frontflips off the platform.

"I knew he could do it..." Mikey starts off, Donnie's limbs going inside except for his broken leg. Due to the cast, it's difficult to get it inside. "Is something I would say if I was crazy."

"With that ankle...rolling east to west? No way," Raph crosses his arms.

"More like next to impossible," Amy scoffs at the thought. "That's like saying I'm dating Leo."

"So you admit it!"

"I didn't admit to anything!" She shouts at April, a little peeved now.

Donnie's leg finally goes into his shell, sending him off course. Somehow, he manages to get down the ramp and get a perfect ten, Mikey cheering. All of them are genuinely shocked, Leo the most.

"NO!" He shouts, falling onto his knees. Donnie gets out of the ramp, his mouth wide open as he sees all the mannequins land...but one of them lands upright.

"It's a nine!" Splinter declares, holding up a number sign.

"What?!" Everyone exclaims, turning to the scoreboard. Mikey had barely advanced during any of the events, and Raph's is impossible to catch up. Amy is barely behind the finish line.

"Wait a second, that means..."

"We tied!" Donnie grins at Leo, who frowns.

"Tied?"

"No one knew what to do! I mean, what do we do?" Raph asks in disbelief. "Did we consult the bylaws? Did we call the president?"

Amy is now dressed up in a lawyer outfit, her hair in a bun with glasses perched over her face as she flips through the law book. "Section four, article seven. In the instance of a tie, the next event will be a...oh no..." She rubs a temple, sighing towards them. Amy gestures for them to come forward to whisper it in their ears and when she does, they both scream in horror.

Splinter lets out a laugh, as he was the one who created the rulebook all those years ago, and this was the first ever tie. "I had waited my whole life for this."

"Splinter's choice?!" Leo finally reveals the condition. "Are you crazy? Who came up with that?"

"Uh, you guys did, when you invented it," Amy deadpans from off-screen.

"Shut up," He mutters at her.

"Did you just tell me to-"

"NOPE!" Leo shouts nervously, running over to her and pulling the girl into his room again.

The garage door opens as Splinter vocalizes. "Out of retirement...for one night only..." He continues the music, "It's Splinter and Amelia!" He slides over to the ring. "Time for the Slippery Whippery Woo!" He's covered in suntan lotion, taking off his robe as he's wearing sunglasses and a bathing suit...with his entire fur shaved off.

"Ahh! No, why?!" Donnie yells as the turtles are disgusted. Mikey simply drops the camera, wishing he could unsee this.

"Pretty great name, right?" Splinter smirks at the camera.

"Gross, I don't wanna be involved in this!" Amy suddenly shouts in protest as she recalls what the rat just said.

"My choice, remember? Now go get dressed."

"Master Splinter, don't you realize what that means?" She crosses her arms and Leo comes to the same realization, eyes widening in horror.

"No no no no no!" Leo shouts to the camera, holding his head.

Amy is crossing her arms with an unamused look, Splinter looking on as Donnie and Leo are arguing, which is why they hadn't started yet. She's wearing a bathing suit, covered in butter, with her hair in low pigtails.

"There is no way you're touching her!" Leo shouts to Donnie in jealously.

"I don't even want to! She's like my sister!" Donnie yells back. His younger brother growls at him. To be able to catch Amy, one of them has to hold onto her while she's in a very revealing bathing suit, and Leo does not want Donnie doing that.

"If this is what the last challenge is, then I don't wanna do it!" Anything would be better than watching his brother touching his girlfriend.

"Blue, you will participate for the tie!" Splinter smacks him in the face with his tail. "No exceptions!"

Leo grumbles as he and Donnie step up to the starting line.

"Sudden death tiebreaker. Purple versus blue! Whoever catches us wins the Lair Games!" Splinter puts more suntan lotion on him.

"That's sick!" Amy mutters in disgust, looking away.

"Now, let's go!"

The two turtles drop their disgust (though Leo mostly looked at Amy's bathing suit in awe) to glare at one another. They take off, Leo laughing as he grabs Splinter's arm and Amy's waist.

"Got you, old man!"

Donnie grabs a leg and Amy's hand. "No, it is I who have them!"

Splinter smirks and slips out of their grips, Amy falling off Leo, who hugs him tightly. Donnie does the same thing with Amy and Splinter, his younger brother glaring at him. The two slip out of their grips, Leo jumping off Donnie to go for the duo. Every time they try to catch the two, they slip due to the slippery substances. Splinter jumps around in the tires, playing kind of like a whack-a-mole game with Donnie before knocking him onto the ground.

Leo appears behind Amy, who slides around on the floor as if she's on ice skates due to the butter on her feet. He squeezes her tightly, but she slips and he crashes into the piles of trash. Splinter laughs at both of them, Donnie slipping again and giving a sound of disgust.

"Out of the way!" He warns April, who ducks out of the way, recording the turtle using the ropes to propel himself forward. "Fibonacci!"

Leo jumps towards them from the other side and they both grab their objectives, jumping into the air. Splinter spins around to try and get them off.

"We both know how this ends, brother," Leo says while being smacked in the face by Splinter's belly.

"Not...today," Donnie replies back.

"You can't beat me. I'm the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be!" He shouts, grabbing Splinter and Amy.

"I started out a Never Leo, but in the end..." Leo thought he had them, but he ended up grabbing Splinter's bathing suit and one of Amy's hair ties.

"I was actually rooting for Donnie."

Leo lands on the ground. "You know what rhymes with second place?" Leo looks up to see Splinter's butt heading right towards him. "Leo's face!"

"No, no!" Leo cries out and the games end there. The loser was deemed Leo, who packs up his room and puts his face in front of the camera, not wanting to talk about how his father's butt felt.

"Thanks for the room, bro," Donnie calls out. "You know, a champion really needs his space." He laughs towards his brother, "Champ burn! Burn! Champ burn!"

"So, Leo, how does this loss feel?" April asks him.

"A better question would be..." Leo glances over his shoulder with a smirk. "Did I really lose?" He winks and moves away the curtain to reveal Splinter snoring. He smiles and shushes April, pointing to a vent that's underneath Splinter's room...and right into the ceiling of Leo's previous room. Donnie holds his head, wondering how Leo could stand it. The blue-slider smiles for the swap.

* * *

"Guys," Amy takes a deep breath. She and Leo are standing next to each other in front of Splinter, April, Donnie, and Raph. Mikey sits still, actually being silent for once. He nods for them to continue with a big smile. Amy takes a hold of Leo's hand. "Leo and I...are dating."

Donnie drops his phone in shock as Raph and April glance at each other. The two cringe at their silence, wondering if it meant a good thing or a bad thing. Then the four start laughing, Amy and Leo glancing to each other.

"G-Good one, guys," Raph wipes away a tear. "Leo, you really got us."

"You guys," Leo tries to say something.

"What's next, you'll tell us that Amy has ice powers?" Donnie asks, holding his stomach. "Oh, that's hilarious!"

"Guys," Amy tries again.

"Or maybe I'll become a news reporter!" April laughs with them, Leo dragging a hand down his face.

"We're not joking!" Leo shouts with such force, it makes them shut up. "We're actually boyfriend and girlfriend."

"It's true," Mikey nods to them.

"Wait wait wait," Raph stands up, looking at Mikey. "You knew about this?! Why didn't you guys tell us?!"

"This is actually happening?" Donnie holds his head. "How dast you keep this a secret!"

"Oh my god," April covers her mouth in shock. "I can't believe this! I knew I was right!"

"You two are...together?" Splinter stands up too, mouth open in shock. "You...and her?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Leo frowns at him.

"This is why we didn't want to tell you," Amy drags a hand down her cheek. "Because you guys overreact."

"Of course we're overreacting! How long has...this been going on?"

"Umm...unofficially, ever since Leo, Mikey, and I helped Hueso with his restaurant. Officially...uhh, ever since we were imprisoned in the Hidden City?" Amy smiles sheepishly.

"You're in a relationship for that long and you kept it from us?! How could you do that?" Raph frowns at them in disapproval.

"It's not a big deal," Leo sighs, shaking his head. "We discovered we had mutual feelings for each other and decided to date. It's not like we fooled around. We're sorry we snuck around, but I don't wanna lose her. We didn't want to keep it a secret anymore, and...I want her heart, body, and soul. I couldn't have that and not have my family know. We wanted to make a life and we didn't want to treat each other as a person we have fun with when we can. We have feelings and pride and as much as we feel guilty, we couldn't handle it anymore. We love each other and we want to be there for each other."

Amy smiles at Leo, squeezing his hand at his sweet words.

"So when he said he loved you while he was sick-"

"I meant it," He interrupts Raph sheepishly.

"And I know that it's surprising because it's Leo-"

"Why do people keep saying it like that?" Leo asks in confusion.

"But...he's really sweet to me, even if it is from the kind I used to hate. I actually laugh for once, something I haven't done in a long time. I'm actually worth something to him. He's...changed me for the better," Amy smiles again, actually looking...happy. "I feel...different. In a good way."

"...Have you guys fooled around?" April asks, crossing her arms.

"No!" Amy drags a hand down her face in slight embarrassment. "Firstly, we're not gonna be parents if that's what you're thinking. Second, we're both too young to plan on something like that. We're only dating. Finally, if there are babies, it doesn't change anything. It just means my priorities have and that's okay. We'll still be family. But don't ask about my relations with anyone because that's none of your business."

"It's our brother," Raph mutters under his breath. "So we have a right to at least ask."

She narrows her eyes in annoyance at him.

"They're really happy together, guys," Mikey looks at them, pleading for his family to see it his way. "It's not that bad they're a couple. We should be happy for them. Come on, let's support it."

Raph glances at the others at Mikey's explanation, shocked that he even said it. Donnie nods slowly, April staring at Amy. She's holding Leo's hand as they wait patiently. She nods too, and Splinter follows after a second.

The oldest turtle sighs in defeat. He couldn't stop them from being together; they do look really happy. If he broke them up, what would he gain from it? His best friend and his brother...

His best friend and his brother!

He wasn't disgusted by it, he was the opposite. It just hurt a bit that they felt like they couldn't tell them, but yet Mikey knew before they did.

"I just can't believe you didn't trust us enough to tell your own family," Raph crosses his arms at Leo.

"Hey, it's not that we didn't trust you. We just didn't know if you guys would react badly," Amy defends him.

"Well...you have our blessing," Raph grunts slowly. The two smile, hugging each other. "But no more secrets!"

"Deal," They say in unison.

"And...you each have to endure a punishment from each of us. Unfortunately, since Mikey already knew!" Donnie glances at the youngest turtle, who sneaks away so that no attention is on him. "You only get four punishments. One from April, Splinter, Raph, and me!"

"Ugggh," The two groan, hanging their heads. It could be anything from embarrassing to humiliating, something they didn't want to deal with right now.

"Does it have to be today?" Leo complains with a whine.

"Either that or we'll take our blessings back."

"Okay..." Amy sighs in defeat.

"Relax, we'll go easy on you...maybe," April glances away at the last word, making them nervous now.

* * *

Donnie has Leo and Amy sit in his lab. There's a weird device sitting in front of them that has four parts detached. He looks like the godfather as he's leaning against his chair, tapping his finger against the desk. The two glance at each other, feeling a little uncomfortable by the silence.

"So!"

Their hearts almost fly out of their chests by his booming voice. "You two are a couple now...the suave, boneheaded turtle, and the smart, could care less human girl...what a concept."

"Hey!" Leo exclaims at the insult.

"Can we just get this over with?" Amy crosses her arms.

Donnie folds his hands together. "Take a hold of one of the nods, both of you."

"Okay..." They do so. Donnie presses a button in the middle and they hear music, from the Jeopardy show. Upon hearing that, they knew that doom was approaching. And knowing Donnie, it would be something horrible.

He better not make them answer questions since that's what Jeopardy is actually about.

Amy bites her nails nervously, Leo sweating profusely. Donnie just smiles wickedly as he watches them sweat. How dare they hide their relationship and throw him for a loop? It wasn't obvious, he could've figured it out if they hadn't keep it hidden so well. They outsmarted him. They outsmarted everyone.

And the most unsuspecting of them knew about it first!

This is what happens when they lie.

"OW!" They let go of the nods, Amy covering her mouth in shock at what just happened. Leo stands up, wiggling his hand in pain.

"Donnie!" Amy yells in disbelief.

"What?" He asks innocently.

"You electrocuted us!" Leo points to the machine. "Not cool, bro."

"And you two lied. Seems perfectly fair to me." Donnie shrugs as if he's playing dumb.

"What-that doesn't even-" Amy grunts in defeat, the damage has already been done. "Whatever." She shakes her electrified hand.

"Hey, the next time we get shocked, just call me daddy," Leo winks, to her absolute shock.

"I'm not gonna call you anything, because I'm not getting shocked!"

"If I have to shock you anytime soon, you better call me Daddy."

"Oh my god, my boyfriend is secretly a deviant who likes inflicting pain," Amy covers her eyes, shaking her head. Just the thought of it...

"What's next, pie in our faces?" Leo mutters as he slowly drags his feet, not wanting to imagine the next punishment.

* * *

Amy and Leo cover their noses as they stare down at buckets. Amy's boots and socks are off, showing her bare feet. She felt like wanting to hurl, and by Leo's face, he wanted to leave for the bathroom too. Why?

Because they're staring at fish guts.

 _Actual_ fish guts.

From a real _fish._

"Is this really necessary?" Amy murmurs in disgust, looking up at Raph as her voice sounds nasally.

"Absolutely," Raph wipes his hands, putting them on his hips. "Either that or I'll have you chug down one of Donnie's smoothies."

"Fish guts it is," Amy declares quickly, lifting her feet above the bucket. She slowly lowers them into the bucket and whimpers in disgust. "Ew, ew, ew. This is disgusting. Blech." She sticks her tongue and Leo slowly puts his feet in.

"Oh gross, it's warm," Leo wiggles in disgust. "Ewwww."

"Where'd you get these?" Amy tries to get out, but Raph holds her steady.

"Nope. Five minutes."

"FIVE MINUTES OF THIS?!"

"Oh god," Amy's panting while she's on the ground, Leo near her. "I'm not sure how much I can take. We should just give u-"

"We can do this," He interrupts, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "Just two more...Dove, if anything happens to me, I want you to document all my one-liners as my will."

Amy rolls her eyes, ignoring his request. She already knew he was joking...

Hopefully.

* * *

"April. What the heck am I wearing?"

April is grinning as she holds up what looks like an MP3 player or a phone that has wires connected to it. Leo has a Tongue of Satan in his mouth, his cheeks burning. "It's a labor pain simulator. These are electrical impulses," She points to the wires connected to Amy's tummy. "To simulate the pain of labor contractions."

"Uh, can I ask one last question?" Amy holds up a finger.

"Sure."

"WHY?! I don't want pain inflicted on me just for keeping a secret!"

"Well it's either that or the Tongue of Satan Leo's using. I hear it's really spicy if someone else's spit is on it," April smirks maliciously and Amy sweats a little. Either way, it was gonna hurt, so she didn't have much of a choice...

"Okay..." She pouts and April turns it on. "Oww," Amy holds her tummy, coughing. "Ugh, my throat feels like I can't breathe." She then hyperventilates. "Am I supposed to be cramping?!" It felt like her stomach was taking away all of her vital organs. "Ah! Ha ha ha ha," She takes deep breaths. "How high is it?!"

"I only pressed it twice," April looks away with a slight cringe.

"I gotta stand up," Amy sits up, putting her hand on her back. "AH! OW OW OW! That makes it worse, that makes it worse! Ow! OW!" She sits back down immediately. "It's hurting the shell out of me...!" She whimpers at the pain.

"Okay, your time is done," April rips the wires off Amy, Leo spitting out the spicy lollipop. Amy whines, clutching her stomach.

"I didn't agree to being Leo's girlfriend to be hurt like this. Why did we agree to do these punishments?! Nnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggggg..." She whines while crying, lying on the ground in a fetal position. "I didn't even know I could feel this type of pain on my belly! What is friendship...Waaaaah..."

"You'll be fine," April pats her back as Leo is drinking milk.

"I don't even want to think about what the last one from Splinter is..."

"Waaah, I hate this," Amy covers her eyes while crying. She could still feel the pain from her stomach.

* * *

"You are teenagers," Splinter paces around in front of them. Amy still looks burned out from what April did, Leo's mouth thankfully back to normal. "It is time for...the talk."

"Oh noooo," Leo covers his face, Amy sinking to the ground.

Splinter switches off the TV. "That was a good movie of Lou Jitsu's The Talk...with Mummy Zombies."

Amy and Leo give a blank look, wondering if they just watched an action movie that has nothing to do with what Splinter's trying to say.

"Now, we have the actual talk."

Amy immediately stands up. "Oh, I think I have something burning-"

"Sit," Splinter points to the ground and she sits, crossing her arms.

"Pop, come on. It's me," Leo gestures to himself. "I know _everything."_

"Can we not have you brag about this?" Amy glances at him.

"We'll see about that," He opens up a book...

About turtle reproduction.

"Oh my god," Amy covers her mouth in horror. She was not thinking about having children anytime soon. And the fact that Splinter is even considering _reading_ about it...

"Dad, please don't," Leo looks away in embarrassment.

"Amelia, I am doing you a favor. What better time to learn than from someone who can actually teach you?" Splinter winks in amusement. Leo and Amy sink to the ground as he starts from the beginning...

* * *

"The female may store your sperm for several years before incubating her eggs."

Amy has smoke coming from her ears, her brain feeling dead. Leo looks like he actually wants to die.

"Any questions?"

"Yeah, can we stop?" Leo drags a hand down his face. "We've heard enough..."

"Mmm. If Amelia bakes a Bundt cake by dinner, I'll save it for another-"

They rush out of there as quickly as possible. Splinter chuckles, closing the book.

"We're never keeping anything a secret again..." Amy pants, hands on her knees.

"Agreed," Leo breathes out, both of them falling to the ground.

Never again would they keep something from their friend and family. Ever.

"I just can't believe Leo...and Amy," Raph shakes his head slowly once they meet back up in the family room, sans the couple.

"Why is that so hard to believe?" April couldn't help but wonder. "I always rooted for them with Sunita."

"Because she didn't like him!" Donnie exclaims, the girl rolling her eyes.

"She never said that. She just didn't like him in the way he was clearly interested in her."

"How could Leo ever get a girl like that?" Mikey shakes his head.

"Gentlemen," Leo gestures to the entrance of his room as he steps out. "Meet the new and improved Alina Santiago. Senorita?"

Amy steps out in a halter dress. The top is white with a tiny black zigzag pattern across the entire top. The bottom is a tutu baby blue skirt. A black belt is around her waist. Her shoes are black 2 inch knee length boots. Her wavy hair is down flows to her waist, with curls on the end. She still keeps her dyed blonde parts, along with the bang near her right ear. Her lip gloss is hot pink with black eyeshadow. Gold eyeliner is on the side of her pupils.

"Amy?!" The other turtles drop their mouths in shock.

Amy giggles as she twirls around a little. "What do you think?"

"OH, you look fabulous!" Donnie exclaims, examining her outfit.

"Why the sudden change?" Mikey asks curiously.

"Well...I thought it would be good for me," Amy shrugs with a small smile. "I feel like a different person in this..."

"Different or not, I'd love you no matter what you wear," Leo wraps an arm around her shoulder.

"I'll try to be a little nicer from now on," Amy smiles sheepishly towards April for earlier. "But I have a reputation to uphold."

"Eh, it's all good," April waves it off, hugging her slightly. "You're not Amy if you're not sassy."

"I mean...she could be nicer," Donnie looks away with a normal look on his face. Raph lightly elbows him. "Ow!"


	52. Leo and Amy Lemon

**Angel: April Fools! XD**

 **Sorry about this being a little bit clickbait lol. But in case some of you aren't aware, they were going to air a new episode a few days ago, and ended up not doing it. They've changed air dates to this month, but that's all I know besides the plots. No specific day listed yet, but I hope it's not near the end of the semester...I don't know why they changed it, but I'm guessing it has to do with the virus? I had already known we were going to be on hiatus because of Ben Schwartz being in Sonic the Hedgehog, but I didn't think they'd change the date again. Anyway, see you guys on whatever day the next episode airs XD**

 **Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy.**


	53. Breaking Purple

**Angel: Finally finished...I'm guessing why it took the show this long to come back was because of Sonic the Hedgehog, since Ben Schwartz voiced him in the film. Literally no news on season 2 episodes for months whatsoever. The last real new episodes we had aired in November! And it probably had to do with COVID-19...**

 **I don't know what exactly will happen in the future with this show. I'm hoping that we get another season and I know that there will be new episodes coming out soon. But with all the craziness going around at this time, I really can't say anything definite XD And I haven't seen any new episodes for this week, so I don't know when the next one is coming out (after Pizza Puffs, that is).**

 **Also, congrats to RedBat being the 200** **th** **reviewer and also thank you everyone for 200 reviews XD Also, many thanks to those who still read my TMNT 2003 story, because I am at 100 favorites and over 300,000 views! Yay *smiles happily***

 **I didn't notice until I finished these episodes, but literally all 4 episodes focus on one turtle XD I don't think that's coincidence! Speaking of, sorry it took me so long to finish them, but I had a lot of assignments to finish up because my semester is ending. I've been working non-stop on stuff for like 2 weeks now XD But finally I have a little cooldown time...**

 **I've also put up a poll to decide what movie to do this summer. I'll accept guest votes as well.**

Donnie laughs evilly with his goggles on. "At last, my greatest creation!" He holds up a sandwich over his head in the kitchen. "The ultimate evolution in breakfast sandwich. A toasted avocado, bacon bagel burrito..." He sniffs the sandwich with a big smile. "With cheese."

Something crashes into him out of nowhere, causing the sandwich to go flying. Donnie gasps sharply and catches it into his hand, sighing in relief. "Phew..." Then the sandwich drops all over his body. Something flies past him and he growls in frustration.

"SHELLDON!"

The drone comes to a stop in the skate park. Donnie points at him from the kitchen's tunnel. "I told you no drone racing in the lair!"

"Psh, you guys have a giant skate ramp in the house, and I can't race?" He points to the ramp.

"No, you can't," Donnie crosses his arms with a glare.

"Why?" Shelldon challenges back.

"Because I said so, emailed so, and texted so!" The robotic arms from his shell hold up his computer and his phone to emphasize his point.

"That's so unfair!" Shelldon glares at him with his little eyes. "I'm sick of this shell crashing!" He flies away as Donnie grits his teeth in annoyance.

Mikey and Amy join his side. She's holding Chewbacon in her hands. "Problem, Donald?" Mikey removes the cheese on top of his brother's head, eating it. Amy sticks out her tongue in disgust.

He sighs, pinching his forehead. "It's Shelldon. I just upgraded his operating system to version 13..." He looks up at the drone flying around.

"Wow. 13. Feels like yesterday he was just a twinkle in your tool box."

"Doesn't seem like he feels the same sentiment, though," Amy raises a brow.

"Yeah, and now he's a pain in my shell. He charges until noon, he's always coding back to me, and now he's drone racing all over the house! I don't know what to do," He frowns deeply. Amy hums slightly, looking between her pig and the drone. It's almost as if he's dealing with another Mikey, but more rebellious.

"Shelldon's at a delicate age."

"He's a drone," Amy deadpans at him.

"Delicate, nevertheless! You need to nurture a spirit or you'll drive him away." He snaps his fingers and Donnie suddenly finds himself sitting in the chair.

"Uhh, what is happening?"

"Just watch," Amy tells him as she's sitting a chair from the left side of the TV. She's suddenly wearing a floral sweater with black pants and a black blazer, her hair in a side ponytail. Mikey is on the opposite side wearing glasses, blue pants, a brown sweater. Both of them are wearing a headphone. He presses a button.

"Good morning. I'm Dr. Feelings, and this is my partner, Dr. Common Sense. Welcome to our seminar. Hug it out!" He holds out his arms as a slide appears on the projector.

"Dr. Feelings and Dr. Common Sense? I thought you were 'Dr. Delicate Touch,' Mikey," Donnie uses quotation gestures. "And that you don't do this kind of stuff, Mia."

"Dr. Delicate Touch feels nothing," Mikey says in a creepy tone.

"Shut up and listen," Amy replies in the same tone.

"Lesson one, 'because I said so' is not an answer. You need to learn a healthy way to express your feelings to your family."

"Communication is what strengthens a relationship, not yelling at him," Amy bends down and pets Chewbacon, who smiles at the contact.

"Yes, feelings. Hot, cold, hungry, sleep-" Mikey hits his nose with his pointer.

"No! Feelings like anger," He pulls up a picture of Shelldon and Donnie fighting. "Remind you of anyone?"

"Nooope!" Donnie answers with a smile.

"Oh yeah? Well, let's see how you feel when we do a comparison," Amy crosses her arms, nodding at Mikey. He changes it to Splinter and Donnie, who was yelling at the bored-looking Donnie at the time. He flips them back and forth. It slowly hits him as he sees that the two family members have the exact same pose and expression.

"What...?" He gasps, eyes going wide. He stands up in horror. "No, anything but that!"

"And there it is," Amy points at him with a smile. He bends down in front of them pleadingly.

"Okay, teach me, doctors! Teach me."

A crash is heard and he sees Shelldon in the lab. "My dark matter accelerator! SHELLDON!"

Amy pulls him back by the mask tails to them. Mikey rubs his shoulders. "Donnie, remember to express your feelings."

"The best way to learn is by doing. So you're gonna go over there and talk to him like you care," Amy points at his chest. "He's at version 13, so he's just going through a phase. Now go!" The two push the softshell towards Shelldon.

"Wow, you're more experienced with this than I thought," Mikey turns to Amy.

"Chewbacon went through the same thing a couple of years back. And believe it or not, he did it again after Leo and I broke the news about our...relationship," She coughs awkwardly. Those were a very tense few weeks...

Donnie clears his throat in front of Shelldon. "Shelldon, I feel frustrated when you destroy my priceless inventions," He smiles while gritting his teeth, trying not to show how angry he was on the inside.

"Eye roll," Shelldon looks away.

"You did not just-"

The turtle and the brunette clear their throats nearby. "Fine...fine. I feel very, very, that's two verys, annoyed when you eyeroll at me," When he opens his eyes, he sees Shelldon playing on the tablet, frustrating him further. "That's it!" He pulls out a ball and chain. "You are grounded, young man!" He attaches it to one of the jets. "Literally!"

"Hey!" Shelldon protests at this.

"Donald!" Mikey catches Shelldon before he could hit the floor.

"Donnie, you're overreacting," Amy gestures to the drone.

"That is a restraining bolt," Donnie points to the ball and chain. "From now on, you do not go anywhere or do anything without my say-so," He crosses his arms.

"01001 you!" Shelldon retorts back, dragging the chain with him. Donnie's mouth is wide open.

"You watch your mouth, young man! Sorry, Dr. Feelings and Dr. Common Sense, but I feel this was a job for Dr. Actually Solves Problems."

Amy slowly turns to him, hands on her hips. Her heels click with each step she makes, causing Donnie to sweat. He actually feels a little scared now.

She slaps him across the face. "Ow!"

"Donnie, what way did _any_ of that solve the obvious problem that _you_ have?"

"What? I did solve it!" He gestures to Shelldon.

"Grounding him? Restraining him? You're acting like a total tyrant!" She crosses her arms.

"You're grounded too, Mia!"

"I don't live here anymore and I'm older than you. You can't ground me," Amy retorts back in an annoyed tone.

"Then you are banned from the lair!"

"You don't have that kind of authority," She rolls her eyes.

"Then I will think of a third thing, gah!"

* * *

Later that night, Donnie is sleeping in his room. The door nearby his room closes. Shelldon peeks out of a manhole cover, sliding it off his head. He pulls himself up through the manhole with the heavy ball and chain, falling into the alley. He looks around in the area.

He flies slowly through the park when a purple dragon drone flies over his head. He locates the source to the high school tech club, the Purple Dragons. Kendra groans in frustration.

"We'll never win the drone race with your scrap heap, Jase!" She points at the boy. "First prize is the shadow transmitter. And that thing can hack every system on the planet!" She rubs her hands together.

"Hey, look!" Jeremy looks up ahead and they follow his gaze. "Isn't that the drone that belongs to Othello Von Ryan?"

"AKA Bootyyyshaker9000 aka-"

"Donnie," They all finish in unison.

"And he's all alone," Kendra grins smugly. The drone circles Shelldon and they approach him. "Hey, little guy. Why aren't you up there flying with your friends?"

"Cause of this stupid restraining bolt," He lightly waves the chain, glaring at it. "Hey, wait, you're the Purple Dragons! You're bad guys!"

"Us?" Kendra puts on innocent eyes, chuckling. "No. We're just misunderstood teens who don't play by the rules."

He tries to move forward, but the ball is still heavy. "Here," She holds out a hand. "Let me help you with that." He gives her the arm and with a tool, she unlocks him.

"Cool!" He exclaims happily, flying around. "Woo hoo! Booyakasha!"

"Whoo hoo hoo hoo, nice moves!" Kendra compliments the drone, but she doesn't actually mean it. She just wants that transmitter. They start to leave when she stops in her tracks. "Hey, we were gonna go have some unsupervised fun, maybe even hit the drone races. You can come if you want."

"Yeah, totally!" Shelldon smiles, looking away. "I mean...cool, cool, whatevs."

With Jeremy driving the car, Shelldon flies next to them. Kendra is in the passenger seat while Jase is in the back. They go to the Lazerdome, where Shelldon beats every kid there. He holds out a hand to Jase, who fist-bumps him.

Then they throw popcorn at a man from the movie theater. Shelldon points his laser so that a chocolate bar can fit into the man's mouth. They all cheer out loud, causing the other people watching to shush them. They sit back down, snickering to themselves.

They drive past the sun, Jase drooling onto his jacket. Kendra smirks a bit and then they go to the top of a cliff, looking out to the city. "Well, now that you're a dragon, how'd you like to fly for us in a drone race?" Kendra holds out a hand to Shelldon.

"Yeah," He smiles in agreement and they fist bump.

"Dragons till the end."

* * *

"You see this, doctors?" Donnie holds up a new sandwich over his head. "With Shelldon grounded, I can finally enjoyed my toasted avocado bacon bagel burrito in peace!" He takes a bite out of his sandwich.

"Don't you think it's time to take that restraining bolt off?" Mikey asks him in disapproval.

"You really think you did nothing wrong here?" Amy glares at the turtle. He swallows the sandwich whole.

"You know what, Angelo, Mia? You make really good points. It is probably way too easy to take that off. I better go perma-tighten it."

"No!" Amy groans, rubbing a temple. "That's not the point!"

"Greetings Donnie or other turtle or Amy. I am still charging," They look at Shelldon underneath a cloth, or what they think is Shelldon. "I am very sorry for everything I did. No need to investigate further."

Chewbacon stares at it blankly from his spot. "Ah, you see that? I really got through to him," Donnie starts to walk away.

"Uh huh," Amy crosses her arms.

"Did you, though?" Mikey removes the cloth to reveal a fake Shelldon. It's made out of a radio to record the speech, flying discs, and basketballs for eyes.

"Wat?!" Donnie exclaims at this. "He ran away?!" He smashes the radio and a tunnel opens, with him flying out on his winged shell.

"Donnie, wait!"

"I'll go after him," Amy pulls out her remote to call for her bike.

* * *

"Shelldon!" Donnie calls out to a library. "Shelldon!" Then the mystic library. "Shelldon!" A toilet from a bathroom somehow, where a man stares at him. "Shelldon!" Then a bumper car from Albeartoland. "SHELLDON!" Then the ocean. "Shelldon!"

The last place is Repo's place. "This is top-notch scrap," Repo states to Loose Lips. "Where'd you get all this?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Loose Lips Malinowski don't talk about sources," He crosses his arms. Amy lands near Donnie, who gestures for her to be quiet before she can scold him. She rolls her eyes and looks up ahead to see the exchange. "I'm not just gonna tell you I got it from the drone races where wayward teen drones go when they run away from home after a fight their misguided parental figures will regret for the rest of their lives."

Amy elbows Donnie and he frowns a little, realizing that he's the misguided parental figure...

"That's where I got it from."

"Oh, shame," Repo throws down a destroyed drone. "All this senseless carnage can be avoided if people simply communicated."

Donnie can just imagine Shelldon being here, gasping in fear. "Shelldon! Mia, give me a ride!"

"What? No, it's your fault he even went there in the first place," Amy crosses her arms.

"I know, I know. I should've listened instead of being...well, like you said, a tyrant. I want to express my feelings, for real this time."

"Well, you do seem like you mean it," She eyes him up and down, sighing in defeat. "Okay, I'll get you there."

"But we don't even know where it is!"

"Not a problem," Amy smirks, jumping off her bike. "Wait here."

He stares after her, wondering what she's gonna do. Then Repo and Loose Lips start shouting in pain and he cringes as he watches her beat them up.

"You better tell me where those drone races are!"

"Bite me!" Repo retorts back.

"Ooh, shouldn't have said that," Donnie winces and a loud smack is heard.

" **What was that**?!"

"Ah, okay, okay! We'll talk!" Repo starts crying. "Just don't hurt me, Pinkie!"

"Good, and make it quick before I smack you in the mouth for calling me that! I hate being called Pinkie."

"Loose Lips said he saw a purple drone with the Purple Dragons," Repo points to the man.

"Rat," The man grumbles to himself.

"The Purple Dragons?!" Amy and Donnie exclaim in unison.

* * *

"Here we are, Dragons," Kendra announces as they've arrived at the race. "I give you the thrilling world of underground drone racing!" She opens up the door, slightly blinding Shelldon from the light coming from inside. He sees the sight and exclamation points appear on his eyes. It's like something out of a video game as drones fly around in the air, one of them getting destroyed by hitting a pole. They walk past the competitors, one of them a beaten up Loose Lips. Another contestant is Baxter Stock boy.

"Heh. These drones got nothing on you," She places a hand on top of Shelldon. "You're gonna win us that prize..."

"The shadow transmitter!" Jase's eyes shine at it as the object is standing on a podium. "It's so powerful! And blinky!"

The contestants leave the drones. "See you at the finish line, Shell," Kendra salutes to him, and they go upwards to a lounge for drivers only.

"Welcome, warriors of the sky, to Thunderdrone!"

The whole crowd cheers as a car lowers from the ceiling, with a man standing on top of it. "I'm your host, Billionaire Guy Eccentric! Billionaire is my first name and not a reference to my financial situation. Reeling a last-minute entry, introducing...Drone-a-tello!"

"Drone-a-tello?!" Shelldon's eyes go wide. He turns to the make-shift drone made out of a box, with Donnie using handheld fans to keep himself afloat. "Donnie?! What are you doing here?!"

"I'm here too," Amy's head pops out of her red motorcycle that is actually now a drone. "One of the contestants didn't show up, so I filled in. I drove him here because Donnie has something to say," She gives her friend a look to start speaking.

"I know you're mad at me, but don't do this. It's too dangerous."

"Well my friends don't think so," Shelldon defends to him, glaring. "They think I can win."

"Racers, start your runners!"

The contestants start up their drones. "Those jerks are not your friends," Donnie tells Shelldon.

"You're wrong. They don't have any rules, and they let me do whatever I want!"

"They're also the ones who stole my bike and caused a rogue robot to attack the city through Donnie. Don't you remember that?" Amy frowns at him. "Not to mention that one of them has a creepy crush on me."

The race starts and the drones take off. "Dragons till the end!" Shelldon leaves the two behind.

"Shelldon, wait!" Donnie calls out to him as the drones fly forward. The race is being filmed as one drone throws away the other. It flies over the brunette and the softshell turtle. "Shelldon!"

They go down a ramp and Donnie's eyes widen up ahead. "Not good, not good!" Up ahead are bumping taxis that are meant to crush drones.

"Oh no!" Amy exclaims, flying underneath the cabs, some of the other drones doing the same thing. Others either fly over them or zip right past. Shelldon flies past them, Donnie following after him.

"Shelldon! Shelldon, I'm sorry!"

"A simple apology isn't gonna cut it, Donnie! You have to make him listen!" Amy calls out as she flies upwards to follow the other drones.

"Please! Come home!"

"Home is where your family is, and I'm a Purple Dragon now!" Shelldon declares, continuing with the race.

"They're not your family, we are! If you lose this race, they're gonna kick you to the curb!" Donnie shouts to him. He knows the Purple Dragons well enough to realize how they stab people in the back or use them for their own gain. Donnie yelps at a saw that moves in front of him, but Amy pulls him along.

"Come on, you big wuss."

"You're just saying that to get me to do what you wa-" Shelldon doesn't realize he's heading for a moving saw up ahead.

"Look out!" Donnie screams in alarm. "Saw, saw!" He pushes Shelldon out of the way, but his make-shift drone gets hit in the process.

"Donnie!" Amy shouts, avoiding the saw and flying towards him. He hits multiple floors, walls, and more.

"And Drone-a-tello falling through the drop! Looks like our late entry is finished..."

He continues falling until he goes through a hole and hits mud. Amy lands nearby, looking down at him. "You alive?"

"Yeah..." Over their heads, the drones fly past them and Donnie sees Shelldon. "No, no!"

Shelldon is in second place, the drone behind him getting destroyed. He and the other drone zip into another part of the track.

"I'm sorry, Shelldon, but there's only one way to make you understand what they're really like. I have to win this race..."

"But how are you going to do that?" Amy asks, turning to him.

"I have my ways..." He presses a button from his wrist computer, but nothing happens. He presses it on rapidly and then his thruster shell activates. He quickly grabs Amy and they take off like a rocket. Both of them scream, eyes popping out and mouths dangling.

"Oh ho ho! In an impressive move, Drone-a-tello is back and straight going through the obstacle course! It's a good thing drones can't feel pain." Ironically, all the two feel is pain as they're crashing through everything. "But is it enough to win the race?"

Shelldon and his opponent are neck and neck as they fly around each other. They clash twice, the two sets of contestants looking on. Donnie and Amy suddenly speed into the area and just as Shelldon is about to pass his opponent, the two break through the orange drone.

"Donnie? Amy?"

They go right through the finish line banner, zipping past the car and crashing. "Holy smokes! Drone-a-tello wins!"

Shelldon skids to a stop, seeing Donnie had crashed into the wall. He falls onto the ground, revealing Amy. She lands nearby, her eyes swirling around as her hair is a mess.

"Owww..."

"That doesn't even begin to describe what I feel right now..." Amy murmurs as she has a black eye.

"Hope everyone had a great time! Remember to tip your host, cause I'm in horrible future crippling debt!" The two are handed the transmitter as Shelldon goes back to his friends in disappointment.

"Uhh, sorry guys," He says awkwardly. "We'll get 'em next time."

"Useless drone!" Kendra yells in frustration and anger towards him. He looks at her in surprise for her tone as she's now glaring at him for losing. "There won't _be_ a next time."

"But...but...we're friends," He looks up at her sadly.

"Are you kidding me?! We were never friends!" She grits her teeth. "I just needed you to get the shadow transmitter, and you failed! Jase, get that transmitter!" She points to Donnie and Amy, who's gotten out of her drone and is now on her bike.

"Wait, Amy?!" Jeremy's eyes widen at her and he attempts to slick his hair back. "How do I look?"

"Who cares?" Kendra shouts at her comrade. "Jase, now!"

He pushes up his glasses, grinning as he summons his drone. It equips itself with weapons before shorting out and falling onto the ground in a heap. Kendra faces out of embarrassment, glaring at Jase.

"I wish my dad never married your mom! Apparently, we won't be taking that transmitter," Kendra points up at the duo. "But after we make some minor upgrades, you are so toast!" She laughs evilly and Jeremy waves to Amy.

"Call me, Amy! I love you!"

"Sorry, but I've got a boyfriend now," Amy smirks, and she silently grins at his horrified face. "And he's much better than some lame tech guy with an awful dye job."

Tears run down his face in sadness as Kendra rolls her eyes, dragging him away. "I'll wait for you, my sweet! See what I did there? Because you bake?"

"Bye," Amy waves to him, but she doesn't mean it in a good way. "Ugh. One of these days I need to get a restraining order on him.

"Shelldon," Donnie drops the transmitter and jumps off the platform. Amy flies down to them with her motorcycle. Shelldon looks very disappointed with the aftermath of the race...not because he lost, but because they were just using him. "Wait."

"You proved your point, okay? I never should've run away and joined the Dragons..."

Amy nudges Donnie, gesturing for him to talk to his drone. "Hey," He places a hand on Shelldon's back. "We all make mistakes, bud. Including me," He turns the drone around to face him. "I shouldn't have been so harsh. I'm really, really sorry. Two reallys," He smiles softly and Amy grins, crossing her arms. Donnie can have a heart once in a while...

If his stubbornness didn't always get in the way.

"Heh...um..." Shelldon feels sheepish as he clicks his arms together a little. "I'm really, really sorry too, D..."

Donnie then glances to Amy, remembering the 'seminar' she did with Mikey.

"Hug it out!" Mikey appears in a think bubble. Donnie then looks to Amy, and the look on her face said it all.

'You better hug him or I'll punch you.'

Donnie takes Shelldon into his arms and hugs him. "Oh..." Shelldon looks surprised, but returns it. Donnie's really not much of a hugger...the crowd goes 'aww' at the moment, some even crying.

"Looks like my work here is done," Mikey says, looking away from the jumbo screen.

"Nice job, Dr. Feelings," Another Mikey appears, giving him a thumbs up. The two high-five each other.

* * *

"Thank god you two worked things out. I couldn't take it anymore with you being a dictator," Amy states to Donnie as they're walking back into the lair.

"Was I really that bad?" Donnie raises a brow at her. He's carrying Shelldon in his arms since the drone needs charging.

"If being an unreasonable ass is considered a good thing to someone, they need a therapist," She snorts as Chewbacon runs up to her. She smiles and bends down to him. The pig reaches up and licks at her face, causing her to chuckle. "Aw, I missed you too, Chewie."

"For someone who's tough-as-nails, you're better at parenting styles than I am," Donnie shakes his head.

"Oh come on. I can get Chewbacon to do anything. Watch this," She points at the pig. "Sit." He sits down on the ground. "Stare up at me. Be pink."

He almost laughs, almost. Chewbacon jumps into her arms and she stands up, walking off. "I'm gonna say bye to Leo and get my stuff before I leave. Night Donnie."

The turtle simply hums as a response as she jumps onto the second floor. Chewbacon oinks in slight disdain and Amy looks at the pig in her arms. "Hey, I know you two don't get along, but both of you are in my lives, and you'll just have to deal with it."

He squeals indignantly. "Wow, okay, there's only one person in our household that gets to swear, and that's me. And I will kick ass to anyone who tells me otherwise, you didn't hear any of that."

Chewbacon just oinks back. "Well! Then I guess no mud pie for you tonight," She puts him down near the entrance of Leo's room, crossing her arms. He looks up at her pleadingly, but she walks off, and he oinks like a baby. She comes to a stop and sighs.

"One slice, and that's it. After that, no more for a week for the language."

She steps into Leo's room, and he looks up from his comic book, beaming. "My lady!" He jumps forward and gasps sharply, seeing the black eye. He slides to a stop and she sweats nervously. She forgot she still had it...

"Did your mom give that to you?!" He starts panicking, holding her shoulders.

"No," She shakes her head rapidly. "No. I went with Donnie to get Shelldon because they were having problems. We were in a race, and the next thing I know, he's grabbing me and-"

"DONATELLO!" Leo shouts, storming past her out the door. "COME HERE RIGHT NOW AND EXPLAIN YOURSELF! No, don't you run away from me!"

"Leo, wait, he didn't touch me in that way! I was in a drone!" Amy calls out to him, running after her boyfriend.

* * *

Amy and Leo are now at her place, watching TV together. He throws some popcorn into his mouth as a commercial about a mother and her baby comes on. He pauses in his chewing, glancing at Amy, who gives no reaction at all.

 _When was the last time her sister-in-law talked to her? She must miss them...they're not talked about much._

"So..." He draws out the word, getting her attention. "How's Elena doing?"

"I don't know," She shrugs slowly. "The last time I saw them was after the rest of us left to get the oreos..."

"Don't you...call them?" Leo sits up, staring at her.

"Ha," Amy laughs lowly. "She's blocked my number, and my mother's. She refuses to see us. We remind her too much about my brother...Elena's probably five now. I just wish I could see her again...but, this is my life, and if I don't see them again, that's Carol's problem."

"But-"

"Papi...I appreciate it, and I love them, but what's done is done," She kisses his cheek softly, standing up. "I'm gonna get some coffee downstairs. Do you want anything?"

He simply shakes his head and she leaves the room. How could someone just cut ties with their family like that? They're all each other has now...if it was him, he'd wanna be close with what little people he had left...

Noticing Amy's phonebook, he peeks downstairs to see Amy brewing her drink. She wouldn't be back for a couple minutes...and while it was wrong, he had to do this, so that she wouldn't be so alone. And she may seem contempt with it now, but he could see her eyes betray her.

She wanted to see them.

He locates Carol's phone number and puts it in his phone. Hopefully he could get through to her somehow...

Leo passes his brothers' rooms on his way back, and sitting on his bed, he dials Carol. "Carol? Carol Santiago?"

"Speaking," A quiet female voice says. "Who's calling?"

"My name's Leo, and I'm...involved with Amy—sorry, I mean Alina."

"I know no one by those names," Carol replies coolly. "She's dead to me."

"Look, I know that your family had problems, Mrs. Santiago, but she really misses both of you. She doesn't hate you. She loves both you and your daughter and she just wants a family. She's sorry about what happened to your husband."

"Is that all?" Carol tells him frostily. "I'm watching Chopped."

 _I don't care who this woman is, her sister-in-law misses her and she cares about a cooking show._

"No," Leo growls out, trying to keep in his rare temper. "Alina has been through a lot these past few years and she deserves to see her niece. She's done nothing to you. Can't you at least let her visit? It would mean a lot to her if you did. She's accomplished so much. You should be proud of her."

"Like I said, I don't know her."

"Look, if you want your daughter to be loved like your husband would've wanted, Alina and her mother are it. I know that her mother is-"

The line goes dead. _What a horrible person. Can't believe she was nicer when Amy's brother was still alive. Determined to hate her just because her husband's gone. My lady...she must feel awful about this all the time._

 _I gotta do something about it._

* * *

After asking Amy to meet him outside her store, he gets the back door wired so that they can't get through...with Donnie's help, of course. He's dressed in his wrestling outfit so that Carol nor Elena would freak out at him. Amy comes out through the front and walks around the corner.

"Leo, why'd you ask me to come outside? And why are you dressed like that?" She inspects his outfit.

"Is that you?"

Amy turns around and sees a blonde woman with blue eyes, who's holding a little girl's hand. "...Carol?" She murmurs slowly.

"Auntie Ali!" Elena recognizes her immediately, rushing over to Amy. She bends down and opens her arms, Elena giving her a big hug. Amy sniffles at the reunion. She never thought she'd get to hug her niece again...

"Yeah...it's us. Leo...called," Carol speaks up, causing Amy to look at the turtle.

"He did what?" Her eyes narrow.

"Glad you guys came!" Leo ignores Amy's question, bending down to the little girl. "You must be Elena. Alina's told me about you."

Elena nods slowly, hugging her aunt's leg. "Hey, come on. I don't bite. In fact, your aunt's got some tasty treats inside. Let's leave them alone and have some."

He holds out his hand and she looks up at Carol, who nods for her to go.

"...Like cupcakes and stuff?" The little girl finally speaks up.

"I'll show you," Leo leads her inside, but not before giving Amy a thumbs up. She just glares at him and he winks. Then it's awkward silence for a few minutes until she decides to speak up. She might as well go with it, right?

"So...he called you and you just decided to come here?"

"Yes, well...it's not fair to alienate family just because my husband is...dead," Carol bites her lip. "I was surprised to hear about your mother. I can't believe she's been stricken with that illness."

"...You shouldn't be. The accident caused a lot of damage to her mental state," Amy crosses her arms, looking away.

"Okay, I deserve that," Carol nods her head. "I wasn't always the best person after the car accident," She dabs at her eyes. "After Marco's death, I grew cold and ignored you both in your time of need. You needed us and I didn't do anything. No wonder why you work so hard, and at such a young age. And now that it's been years, there's no chance of him coming back. I was foolish and should've reached out to you. Now your mother is stuck like that and I have nothing. Just bitter memories."

"...Would you like to have one of my pastries sometime?" Amy speaks up after a few seconds.

"Why would you want to do that?" Carol asks in surprise. "I was rude to your boyfriend and disrespectful to you..."

"He may be my boyfriend, but he's-" Amy sighs in defeat, deciding to let it drop for now. "Because neither of us should be alone again. Did you drive here?"

"We took the train."

"Then I'll drive you back on my motorcycle—well...Marco's motorcycle," Amy corrects herself.

"You...still have it?" She asks slowly with a growing smile. "I'm glad. He would've wanted you to keep it."

Amy's eyes fill with tears. "Yeah...don't worry, I didn't change a thing."

Carol feels like crying too and they share a warm hug.

* * *

They join Leo and Elena inside the bakery, and Carol decides to tell them how she met Marco. "Marco and I were high school sweethearts. I was a barista in a little café, and one day, he came in to study. He was stressed about exams and I didn't have the heart to leave him like that, so I talked him. We immediately formed a bond and we started dating. We were so close, inseparable, and as time passed, we got married right after college. He was affectionate, cheerful, mischievous, and had a wonderful sense of humor. I loved him. After Elena was born, we spent hours with our family, cooking together and going to Coney Island every summer. He was just about to become CEO at his company. Alina—sorry, Amy, would always take care of the girls before and after school. Us adults were always busy, but she didn't mind. When Marco died...I was left to raise our daughter alone. I was so wrapped up in my own grief that I couldn't handle seeing you two anymore...I blocked numbers. I moved away. I blamed you for a little while, but it wasn't your fault. You were only ten. I should have..." She wipes a tear running down her cheek. "Talked to you. Not ignore you. I regret that."

"I regretted things too," Amy murmurs as Elena is hugging her. "Like not telling you guys about the bullying..."

"...I'm really sorry to hear that, Amy. It's my fault. I was too focused on my career to even notice...but your brother did. Of course he did. He loved you...Lucia...your parents...and Elena."

She places a hand on Carol's shoulder. "No. It's not your fault. I was the one who kept my mouth shut about it. But...talking about it helped me. I don't have to hide it anymore. Maybe...I could visit Elena and get to know her."

Carol smiles softly. "We'd like that very much, Amy. And thank you, Leo."

"Who brought back a family? This guy!" Leo points two thumbs to himself.

Amy rolls her eyes playfully at him. "Yeah yeah, save it for later. Next time, don't sandbag me like that."

"I did you a favor," Leo lifts his head up high proudly.

"More like make me punch you even more."

Carol watches the two with their banter and smiles. This...person brought her and Amy back together. It melts her heart to know that even though Amy's been through what no 15-year-old should go through, she was happy. Miracles can happen.


	54. Repairin' the Baron

"By unanimous decree of the council, Baron Draxum is found guilty of crimes against the Yokai." The Guardsmen that work for Baron are listening to the Yokai Council. "Unlawful genetic manipulation, unleashing dark mystic forces in an effort to destroy humanity, damaging the cloak of secrecy that has kept us safe for eons! And he ruthlessly murdered two innocent humans, leaving a child in the hands of a mentally unstable parent!"

"Sounds like a terrible guy," The guardsman whispers to his partner.

"You work for him," They show the two with Draxum and they rub their necks awkwardly.

"But we will forgive you for assisting him...provided you bring him back to the Hidden City to answer for his crimes!"

"Yes, mighty heads," The two bow to the council. They go through the portal and step out onto Earth, sitting on top of their giant dogs. They and the dogs transform back into their Earth identities, joggers with dogs around them. They walk off to go find Draxum...

* * *

Drilling is heard from April's apartment. "There. That should keep the fan from falling down again," Raph taps the fan lightly as he's just finished attaching it back to the ceiling. April sighs in relief, the ceiling crumbling for some reason.

"Thanks, Raph."

However, there's a crash, and the ceiling fan falls onto Raph, causing him to groan. April shouts in frustration, gritting her teeth.

"Not again! My stupid neighbor."

"Your neighbor keeps knocking the fan down?" Raph asks as he looks up at her.

"Yeah, it's driving me crazy! Usually, it's just a lot of clip-clopping, but lately, it sounds like a dinosaur on a trampoline!" She glares up at the ceiling in annoyance, hands on her hips.

Raph stands up, determined to stand up for his friend. "Oh no, no, no. You can't have that. I'm gonna go set this guy straight!"

* * *

He stands in front of the door a few minutes later. "Now, don't make a scene," April warns from behind. "You're not gonna make a scene. You're gonna make a scene? Don't make a scene!" The last thing she wants is trouble with her neighbors because of her friends...well, mostly the turtles.

"Raphael doesn't make a scene," Raph shrugs with a smile. "He's just going to politely give the new tenant his perspective on the noise situation. And to make sure, that neighbor is not scared...of a disguise," He puts a ski mask over his face.

He knocks on the door, politely. "Excuse me, kind neighbor. I was hoping to have a friendly word with you! About-"

"I told you, Carol, I do not want to meet your daughter," The neighbor opens the door and Raph's eyes widen. He shouts in shock, freezing as April peeks in. He's wearing bunny slippers, holding a coffee mug, and a robe, but it's Baron Draxum standing there!

"Baron Draxum?!" Raph slips off his mask and tackles him onto the floor. "I don't know what kind of evil plan you're up to, but-"

"My hunches, get off me!" He pushes Raph off, standing up. He reaches out his hand and Raph braces himself with the vine. But nothing significant happens as a tiny vine emerges from the floor. "Stand...back..." The vine withers away, as a result of Draxum's weak power. Because of the effects of the armor, he's not as stong as he used to be. He blinks rapidly as Raph just stares at it.

"Raph, what are you doing?"

He turns around to see Mikey behind him, wearing a dinosaur costume. "Mikey?! What are _you_ doing?" He didn't even know his brother was here.

"Dinosaur trampoline always cheers you up," Mikey jumps up and down. "So I thought I'd try it on Baron Draxum." Which explains why the ceiling fan kept falling off...

"I do feel my confusion being replaced by joy," Raph smiles after rubbing his chin.

"Not me!" April pushes him away. "Mikey, why the heck are you helping Baron Draxum?!"

"Baron Draxum needs the help of no one!" Draxum argues back furiously.

"Oh really?" Mikey points at him. "When I found you, were you or were you not living on the street?"

 _Draxum was sitting in the rain in a blanket, literally homeless. He has a 'will mutate 4 food' sign nearby, with a coffee cup for tips._

"Maybe," Draxum admits begrudgingly.

"Powerless, because your soul got sucked out by the dark armor. Wanted for crimes in the Hidden City, and who set you up in style?" However, the small, dirty apartment is anything but style. April's building was a way so that she could help him out too.

Draxum groans knowingly. "Dr. Positive..."

"That's right!" Mikey joins his side, jerking a thumb to himself. "Dr. Positive. The one who's gonna turn you from bad guy to glad guy! From sad sheep to happy sheep! From devil to A-level, baby!"

"Mikey!" Raph yells at his little brother, pulling him forward. "What are you thinking?! Draxum is the sworn enemy of the Mad Dogs! And if Mellie finds out about this, she'll probably never speak to us again! Don't you remember what he did to her family?"

"I know..." Mikey frowns in recognition. He really did think about that when he found the sheep mutant...and he knows that Amy will be the least happy out of all of them. How could he forget what he's done? He murdered two innocent people with no remorse for them or for the child that used to be Alina. But deep down, Draxum could change. "But he's also the one who created us, and we wouldn't have met Amy if it wasn't for him. And that makes us him family, and once he feels like he's a part of our family, his goodness will shine!"

They stare at the frowning Draxum, imagining the 'goodness.'

"It's the most ridiculous thing I ever-"

The door knocks and Mikey gasps. "Oh great! They're here!"

Donnie, Splinter, Leo, and Amy burst in. Donnie is in a purple sweater with a tie, and dark pants. Splinter is in a yellow sweater. Leo is in a blue sweater with a tie like Donnie's, with brown pants and black shoes. Amy is a white lace dress with sheer material covering her chest that's sewn into the top of her dress. The top is in a sweetheart neckline, the tulle skirt stopping just below her knees, looking almost like a ballerina. On her feet are 3-inch baby blue heels. Her hair is in a heavy ponytail, held back by a large black scrunchie. Her bangs are braided around her head to help keep the ponytail in place. On her lips are cherry red lipstick. Splinter is holding a casserole while Amy is holding something in a white container and a blow torch for some reason.

"The housewarming, Mr and Mrs-" Splinter stutters as he sees Draxum at the end of the room. "WHAAAT IS THIS?! I thought we were finally meeting April's parents!"

Amy drops the dessert and blow torch. "Uh oh," Leo murmurs as he sees her hands twitching. April joins their side.

"No. Apparently, we're helping Baron Draxum get his groove back."

"Called it!" Leo holds out his hand and Donnie pays him reluctantly.

"Oh no. I do not make my famous green bean casserole for my mortal enemy!" Splinter's about to throw the casserole right at him when Mikey takes it.

"Okay, whose idea was this?" Amy speaks up.

"It was him," April and Raph point to Mikey, who gasps at them.

"Why'd you snitch on me?! Now she's gonna-"

"Mikey..." She calls out slowly and he sweats nervously. Donnie, Leo, and Splinter literally move away from her as she's fuming. "Come over here...right now..."

"Um, I'm cool over here, so if we could just-"

"Explain yourself...now," She smiles creepily that unsettles him.

"He's not our enemy anymore. He's family. And once he gets some of those warm and fuzzy family feels, It'll crack that icy shell and we'll be knee deep in sunshine!"

The other turtles and Splinter glance at each other skeptically. "Mikey, he doesn't understand the meaning of family because he destroyed mine!" Amy grits her teeth. "I'm not gonna sit and EAT with him acting like that didn't happen!"

"But you promised you'd show us your dessert," Mikey pouts at her like a baby.

"Too late!" She points to the dessert on the floor. He grins widely and she shakes her head. "Mikey, no."

"I'll do it."

"I swear to god-"

"I'm gonna do it," He pokes at her cheek.

"NO."

"I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world~!" Mikey sings, waving his hands. "Life in plastic, it's fantastic-"

"I hate you so much," She interrupts, closing her eyes. The brunette walks out of the room. "I'm getting my shotgun, no exceptions!"

"Hey, you said you wouldn't!" Mikey frowns as he looks out the door.

"I'm not gonna shoot him..." She turns around, rolling her eyes. "I'm not doing time for no one, even if it is just to get rid of Draxum. It's just for precaution."

The police department has taped off the stadium where the Shredder attacked. One of the dogs sniffs the ground where one of the vines from Draxum is on the ground. Lightning strikes to briefly show their true identities.

* * *

Dinner is silent and tense. Amy can only be grateful that she's sitting next to Leo. Splinter slowly chews as he stares down Draxum, gripping his utensils. Draxum is chewing in the same manner, groaning towards everyone. Donnie and April are both sweating, looking away.

"Isn't this nice?" Mikey smiles at them, not noticing the obvious fact that they're uncomfortable. "When's the last time we all got together like this, huh?"

"Mm, the time Draxum dropped me off a building," Leo chews his food. Amy pulls up her shotgun, releasing one of the shells onto the ground as a threat to Draxum if he tries anything.

"The time he killed my big brother and my little sister?"

"No, actually, I think it was when he ambushed us at the Botanical Garden," Donnie points out.

"No, no, baseball stadium. Dark armor, tried to destroy humanity. Also really pissed off Mellie, our best friend?" Raph asks from his spot.

"That's right. Good times," Mikey leans in towards Draxum, who pushes him away.

"He's the reason I don't have grandchildren," Splinter mutters under his breath. Well, and also Big Mama.

"I mean...my lady and I can give you grandchildren," Leo hugs Amy's waist near her bottom. "We'd love to get started at any time."

She blushes deeply at the movement at his hand. "Eh?!" She suddenly growls at what he said, a red mark at the back of her head in anger.

"Dude..." Raph shakes his head.

"Oh no," Mikey sighs, crossing his arms.

"And in three, two, one..." Donnie counts off.

The girl smacks Leo so hard that it can be heard from every room in the apartment building. Birds fly away at the echoing slap even. He's left laying on the ground, a big bump on his head.

"...Owww...I was only joking!" He pouts up at her. "Abuse!"

"That's not abuse, that's getting your pervert mind out of the gutter!" She huffs, looking away and crossing her arms.

"I-I didn't mean it!" He sits up, sweating nervously. "I was just telling Pops that he didn't need to worry about not having grandchildren!"

"Uh huh," She mutters under her breath.

"Come on, my lady! You know me!" He gestures to himself, having a pleading look. "I love you!"

"I heard you." She closes her eyes.

"Then stop being all huffy with me!" He pouts, hugging her from behind. She sighs slowly, shaking her head.

"I tolerate your behavior way more than I should."

He beams and kisses her cheek.

"Would somebody please pass the creamed corn?" Splinter asks the table.

"We don't have any creamed corn," Raph turns to him in confusion.

"Well, I figured the guy who turned me into a rat could just MUTATE THE POTATOES INTO CREAMED CORN!" He points right at Draxum.

"Dad! We're here for a nice family dinner, not to fight over who mutated who!" Mikey defends and Amy snorts to herself, crossing her arms.

"No, no, he's right," Draxum shakes his head. "If I had my powers, I could make the most loathsome creamed corn beast ever seen!" He slams his hands onto the table. "Fear King Corn those fool humans would shriek in terror!"

Amy narrows her eyes as she glances to April. "Fool humans? As one of the only humans here, I take offense at that."

"But why? You are fools. You put sunglasses on your dogs, you take photos of your food, and do not get me started on Carol."

"At least we're not fool enough to jump into a suit of dark armor without reading the owner's manual," April quips, giving Donnie a high five.

"Ha, nice," Amy murmurs to herself.

"Draxiball, what you need is to spend some quality time with humans, so you can see why we like them so much."

"Can you bake the dessert now please?" Leo whispers to his girlfriend and she pulls out the blow torch from underneath the table. She opens up the lid to reveal crème brulee. She turns on the blow torch and heats it up. "My lady, ladies and gentleman!"

"Papi," She giggles slightly at him.

"Disgusting," Draxum scoffs at them. "A mutant and human should never be in a relationship."

"What would you know about relationships?" Amy glares at him. "You don't care about anyone but yourself."

"Yokai today would not accept...this," He points to the two of them. Leo narrows his eyes in irritation.

"I don't really care what yokai have to say, because it's my choice," Amy gestures to herself, the others feeling awkward with this conversation.

"At least we are above you," Draxum glares back at her. "You really think he could love a human?"

"Hey!" Leo stands up, fists clenched. "Me being me has nothing to do with it. So what if we're different?"

"She's _inferior_ to you. She's a mere baker slumming away hours into the night with an attitude that disgusts everyone." Her mouth opens in horror at his words. Normally, she wouldn't listen, but...it was kind of hard to do that all of a sudden. "I was wrong to consider you a warrior, you are nothing but wasted space on this planet. The only reason you're not dead is because I don't have the power to kill you myself."

Everyone stays silent as Amy clamps her mouth shut. She swallows the lump in her throat as she stands up. The girl turns around and runs out of there. Leo glares at him and runs after the girl. She buries her face in her hands as she's walking, her hands trembling. He holds out a hand to her, worried.

"Ames? Ames, talk to me."

She stops and turns around, her eyes red and puffy. "Why did you pick me?!" She exclaims, not caring if anyone heard. "Why did you want _me_ out of all people when you could've liked anyone else? When you could've had someone without pain?"

"Dove...why would you even ask that? Is it because of what he just said?"

She sniffles, hugging herself. "There are a lot of things I've had to understand while being around you and the others. But what I don't get is why you don't want someone who's pretty and sweet, and says all the right things without having a complicated past...Leo, I'm just...I'm just me. There's nothing else."

He shakes his head as anger flashes in his eyes. He strides over to her, gently, but firmly cupping her face into his hands. "I don't care about how other girls look or what they say or how sweet they are. I don't _want_ them. I want Amelia Elizabeth Smith."

She laughs in a strangled sound, shaking her head as much as she could. "No. I'm so damaged-"

"I don't care," He whispers to her, his eyes full of love. "I don't care. I love you for who you are, Ames."

Amy stares at him, some tears streaming down her face. Leo wipes them away with his thumbs in gentle strokes. He presses his forehead to hers lovingly. "I love you. I love you, my lady, and I'll tell you every single minute until you believe me. Even until your death."

Another tear slips from her eye as she smiles. "I-I love you too, Papi."

He looks down at her feet, grinning. "So...baby blue shoes, huh?"

"Yeah," She smiles in embarrassment. "I just thought...you know, since our secret is...basically out, we would match a little bit. Is that weird? I can take them off."

"Mm, nah," He moves his hands to her waist. "Now you're my baby blue dove with them."

"I can't wear anything around you without a smart remark," She rolls her eyes in amusement, hugging his neck.

"I can't notice how beautiful my lady looks?" He smiles down at her, pecking her lips.

"Stop it, I'm gonna be Raph's color," She bites her lip, hugging him. He hugs her back and she enjoys her warmth. It was so comforting to her, something she didn't think she needed until after Draxum opened his stupid mouth.

"Tell you what," He speaks up and she looks up at him. "How about later, I bake you something?"

"Oh, you don't need to do that," Amy shakes her head. "I can always do it-"

"No arguments, dove!" Leo kisses her forehead. "I promise I'll do a better job than last time."

She just chuckles, smiling happily. She loves that about him: that he can make her laugh no matter what.

"Aww," Mikey pouts at Amy's reaction from before. "But I know a place to get him to like humans!" He holds up a flyer for Albeartoland. It's been newly remodeled. "Who's coming with me and Draxum to Albeartoland?"

Everyone looks away and Mikey holds up Raph's hand. "AH! Why me?!"

"Not just you. Big sis is coming too."

"Little bro say what?" Amy just happens to hear from the doorway. Mikey gives her puppy eyes and she glares at him. "Sorry, not happening. I'd rather fall down an elevator shaft than to do that."

"But you love Albeartoland!"

"A true statement," She rolls her eyes. She and Leo took Elena there just last week. Both she and her niece love amusement parks, so the turtle decided to treat them last Saturday. "But why on Earth would I go with _him_?" She directs a look towards Draxum. "He might try to give me capgras too."

"I know he did all that stuff, but look at him. If you could just see-"

"I don't see him the way you do, Mikey, and I'm not sure if I ever will," Amy interrupts sharply. "Every day, I have to live with the life that he gave to me," She points to Draxum. "How I have to work myself to the bone just to support my mother—my mentally ill mother—and her bills."

"But he's family! He created us, and without him, we wouldn't have met you, big sis."

"He's not _my_ family. Most of my family abandoned us after the accident. Does that sound like something family does? Or mutating others for themselves? Don't forget that he psychologically tortured me!" She grits her teeth. "After all he's done, you want me to go with him to help the guy? There's no way I'm going, and that's final!"

* * *

Mikey, Raph, Draxum, and a pissed off Amy are standing in line. Mikey is in an orange hoodie, Raph a white one, Amy in a pink one, and Draxum in a black cloak. A kid is swinging into the bars nearby, kicking his leg. Amy eventually caved after he promised her that he'd look after her store for a month. She didn't bring Elena with her this time, since she doesn't want her niece around this monster. But she will bring her back a souvenir as compensation.

Draxum eventually grabs the boy. "Stop kicking me! Where is your mother?! I'll have her fed to wolves."

"Not sure your plan is working, Mikey," Raph points to him as they listened in.

"Stay Dr. Positive, Raph," He smiles, hands on his hips.

"There is nothing positive about this..." Amy shakes her head slowly.

The kid jumps out of Draxum's hold, landing on his back. "You wretched child, I will splat you in twain!" He's about to throw him when Amy grabs the boy. "Huh?"

"Oh, you little playful human, you," Mikey chuckles, patting him on the head. Amy gently puts him down. "They love to jump and grab and hang."

The boy kicks Draxum in the leg. "And kick," Mikey adds in as Amy grins.

"No way, you're that girl who salsa danced in Times Square," He gasps sharply as he recognizes the girl.

"That's right," She smiles, bending down to him and ruffling his hair. "Stop by my bakery sometime and I'll give you a free donut. Now go find your mom."

He giggles happily and runs off. Amy waves at the boy. Draxum growls towards him. "You could've been better than this," Draxum grunts at the brunette as she stands up, hands in her pockets. "You could've done anything for me."

"The only thing I'll do for you is kick your ass if you hurt anyone," She narrows her eyes as she glances over her shoulder. "Now shut up and be a good sheep man. Be lucky I'm not allowed to bring my shotgun."

"Ooh, look, we're next," Mikey points up ahead. "Time for the fun to begin, baby." He and Raph drag Draxum into the bumper car attraction.

He gets surrounded by children bumping into him. The sheep man doesn't really know how to control his bumper car. "Stop it! I cannot move! Don't hit me, leave me alone, human larva!"

Amy grins as she's enjoying this, driving around.

The two dogs are sniffing around as one of the guardsmen hands his partner a flyer. The same one for Albeartoland...

"Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm!" Mikey hums in delight as they walk past the merry-go-round. "There's nothing better than human funnel cake!"

Raph has sugar around his mouth as he's eating. Amy takes a bite. As usual, she had to pay, but she didn't really mind paying for funnel cake. Albeartoland had the best of the pastry, but sometimes she'll bake it for Mikey since he loves it.

"Which part of the human is it made from?" Draxum holds it up like it's contagious, examining it.

"What?" Raph pops up behind him. "No, it's made _by_ humans, not from them."

"Health inspectors would be shutting down everything if we had actual food made from humans," Amy rolls her eyes.

"Can you make Draxum some funnel cake?" Mikey grips at her arm.

"No way on my life," She glares at him. "Mikey, are you sure that I'm really the best person he can learn from about how to like humans? The guy's committed a bunch of crimes."

"Yeah, but he's also powerless and besides what he said at dinner, he hasn't done anything to you yet," He looks up at her.

"That may be, but I still don't trust him. You might think I'm being stubborn or biased, but he didn't leave you guys with a sick mother. You didn't watch your father jump out of a building because a loved one can't remember him. Your brothers are still alive. Lucia was 9. NINE! Marco had a wife and a daughter. He's hurt me the most out of anyone else. And yet you think he can be _helped_. I understand your sympathy, but he's not getting any from me."

Draxum throws away the funnel cake and it lands right on Amy's hoodie. She chuckles bitterly, wiping it off. Once they're a few feet away, someone steps on it. Draxum pops a little girl's balloon.

"See what I mean, Mikey?" Raph asks as the little girl starts crying. "This guy's never gonna like humans."

Amy looks over her shoulder as she hears the girl. "Wait up," She tells the two, walking back to the little girl. She pulls out a little balloon from her bag and the girl looks up at the teenager. She blows the balloon out to a long stick. She moves her hands around as she shapes the balloon into a dog. The girl gasps as the brunette hands it to her, smiling up at Amy. She smiles back and walks back to her friends.

"Since when do you make balloon animals?" Raph raises a brow at her.

"Sixth grade. Kept me busy when I wasn't baking or tending to my mother," She replies while wiping her hands.

"Anyway, there's no way of being with an ounce of good in them throws funnel cake on the ground."

"Actually, it landed on my face, but still a valid point," Amy points up at Raph.

"Dr. Positive _is_ becoming Dr. Slightly Disappointed," Mikey looks towards the ground.

"Look, I know you have good intentions, but Draxum?" The girl places a hand on his shoulder. "You can't tell me you think he at least doesn't deserve to be in jail."

Mikey bumps into Draxum, who has stopped moving. He has a look of shock on his face.

"Draxum. By order of the Council of heads," The guardsman turns back to normal. "You are under arrest." He fires a blast from his sword and they all jump out of the way. People start running away as Raph looks to the sheep man.

"Uh, Draxum, aren't those your boys?"

"No, they are bounty hunters loyal to the one with the most coin," Draxum explains to the snapping turtle.

"Uhh, Mikey digs through his pockets. "Would they back off for 27 cents and a button? Big sis, get out your wallet and pay 'em."

"No!" She denies furiously, slapping his hands away from her hoodie pockets.

"You can try. Tell me how it goes," Draxum is running away, to Raph and Amy's disbelief.

"See?! I told you he doesn't care about us, Mikey! He just abandoned us," She gestures to where he was. The guardsmen don't even attack the trio since they haven't done anything. They run right past the three as they chase Draxum. He looks over his shoulder, but the other guardsman arrives in front of him. Draxum comes to a stop as he's now surrounded.

"Raph, Amy! We gotta stop these guys!" Mikey declares, Raph appearing next to him.

"Why? Isn't he just getting what he deserves?" Raph asks him, silently glad that now he can leave them alone.

"I don't _gotta_ do anything," Amy crosses her arms. "Even if there's a shred of remorse in that sheep body of his, it won't fix my family."

"He created us, Raph," Mikey gestures to himself. "Without him, we wouldn't even be here! And Amy, you wouldn't even be dating Leo! He deserves another chance."

Her eyes widen at his explanation. "I know that he killed your siblings and your dad took his own life because of your mom, but the best way to do right for them is to forgive! Isn't that what they would've wanted?"

 _Little Alina was being held by Marco as a newborn and he smiled down at her._

 _Lucia waved to her sister after being dropped off to preschool._

 _Alina smiled up at her father when he gave her a baking kit for her 5_ _th_ _birthday._

 _Leo fell off the building and Amy immediately jumped after him, tears falling from her eyes._

She blinks slowly as she looks towards the ground. In a way...Draxum brought her friends, a family. Raph stares at him. Both of them come to the agreement...that they should at least help him. Lucia and Marco may be dead, and that is definitely because of Draxum. But Draxum is the sole reason why she has Leo. Without him, she wouldn't have Leo around to make her life easier, despite all the bad things in it. The snapping turtle sighs, placing a hand on Mikey's shoulder.

"I hate to say it, but...sometimes Dr. Positive makes a lot of sense."

"You're gonna help him too?" Mikey turns to Amy, who nods.

"As much as I hate him, I love your wiseass brother, and I wouldn't give that up for anything..."

"Aww," Raph and Mikey coo at her, and she blushes in embarrassment, looking away.

"What? I have feelings and compassion."

The guardsmen run towards Draxum. Mikey flings his whip and catches one with it. He throws him away from Draxum, and he lands in the wood. The sheep man gulps, turning around to the one in front of him. He points his sword and fires, but Raph blocks it with his smash-jitsu. He sends it flying onto the Ferris Wheel.

"Raph!" Amy turns around to the ride and he rubs his neck sheepishly.

"Whoops. My bad."

She flings her arms forward a little to give the guardsman a little shock.

"You saved me...? Why? After all I've done to you?" He looks at Amy at the last question.

"Still trying to get used to this, but Mikey thinks you're part of the family," Raph looks to him. "And number one rule of the Mad Dogs code is you take care of family."

"You may have ruined my life, but that doesn't mean I can ignore that you gave me a family," Amy speaks up. "But don't make me regret it."

They hear a crash, looking up at the Ferris wheel. A mom and her daughter are in a tilting car, screaming. Draxum gasps, narrowing his eyes.

"You hold off the bounty hunters. I'll...ugh, save the humans."

To their shock, he runs off to go help them. "My sheep man!" Mikey exclaims, ducking from a sword. He backflips away from the guardsman, flinging his whip at the mutant's sword. Raph clashes with the other one, who uses a free hand to attack Amy. She slides out of the way.

Draxum climbs up the Ferris wheel, a bolt flying off from the car. The mother holds on, hearing the grunting. They look up to see Draxum appear.

"I've come to get you humans!"

They both scream at him at his poor wording. "Oh, relax," He silently rolls his eyes. Another blast from the sword flies past him and he looks to see one of the guardsmen. He had seen Draxum climbing and is now focused on him. He fires again and it hits the clear. It comes clean off, causing the mother and child to fall. Draxum reaches out and grabs the woman's hand. He tries to hang on as much as he can.

Amy looks up at Draxum, seeing the situation. Raph pushes her head down. "Look out!" A laser passes over their heads. "Come on, guys, let's wrap this up."

Mikey narrows his eyes and runs forward. The three charge at the two guardsmen. Mikey flings his whip at one of their faces.

"Ba-boom!"

"Eat this!" Raph punches the other and he goes flying. They land at the hammer attraction. "Whoo! Ha ha ha!" He grabs Mikey's whip, and he flings his brother and sister around.

"Fire-Shock Smashing Combo Whip!" The two are at the other end of the whip, fire and electricity surrounding the two. Together, they punch the end so that the two are electrocuted. They hit the bell, knocking it clean off. They go flying into the moon, leaving only a glint.

"Good riddance," Amy smiles, sweeping her hands clean.

"Whoo hoo! Yeah!" Mikey jumps up and down for their victory. They hear a crash, looking up and seeing Draxum. He's still holding onto the Ferris wheel when his fingers slip, causing all of them to fall. Amy gasps, covering her mouth with her hands. He grabs the two and aims his hand to the ground. He pushes himself to create a vine, others from the Ferris wheel looking on in horror.

"Omigosh," Mikey murmurs as he's sweating.

"Come on..." Amy urges as she stares at them.

Draxum lets out a yell as the vine extends just before they hit the ground. It wraps around Draxum's waist, his mask falling off his face. It crashes onto the ground and he opens his eyes, hearing people cheer for him. Even the turtles and Amy join in. They land on the ground safely as confetti falls around them. The little girl leans in and kisses his cheek.

"Oh!" He shouts in disgust, holding his cheek. "Why must you touch me with your germ hole?"

"Look at you!" Mikey smiles at him proudly. "You saved humans!"

"With no evil plot involved," Amy blinks at him. "I'm...slightly impressed."

"And you got a little bit of your powers back," Raph grins, pointing up at Draxum. He turns his back on them.

"So, change of heart?" Mikey leans in with a smug smile, hands behind his back. "Maybe living among humans is not so horrible after all?"

"I strongly disagree, but I suppose I might able to tolerate them somehow...given that I have no choice."

"There's the bare minimum!" Mikey pumps his fists.

"And...I suppose that destroying two was wrong," He looks over his shoulder to Amy, who says nothing. "They had...somewhat fulfilling lives."

"But if you're gonna live up top," Raph rubs his chin. "You're gonna need a job. Now...what kind of gig would be perfect for someone who's always angry, needs to be the boss, and hates humans?" He glances at Amy, who shakes her head.

"Nope, hard no. No way. I'm the boss, and being angry isn't ideal for customer service," She places her hands on her hips. "But I do know one job that might work for him."

* * *

The bell rings at April and Amy's school. "Here is your nutrient mound," He drops slop onto a student's tray. "Dismissed!" The student walks off in fear as Mikey, April, and Amy's robot watch.

"Well, this seems like it could backfire," April deadpans as she looks on.

"Come on, April, give him a chance. He's perfect! And it's great cover."

"It's the only job that might work for him," Amy shrugs from her counter at the bakery. She's making muffins. A student pushes someone onto the floor, laughing at him.

"No hijinks in my line!" With a vine, Draxum throws him away, chuckling with a grin. "This'll do."

"Ooh, you makin' chocolate chip muffins, girl?" April stands in front of the robot.

"Mmhm. With a little vanilla too."

An oven dings and she goes over with oven mitts to pull them out. The 6 muffin pan is filled with golden brown. "Can I have some?" Mikey grins at the screen.

"Oh, these aren't for anyone but me. After last night, I need it," She wipes off her forehead.

* * *

Later that night, Amy arrives via motorcycle to the cemetery. She stops her bike and takes off her helmet. She sighs to herself as she steps off, holding three white roses. The girl hadn't been back here in a while...since she helped her family stop Draxum in the dark armor. Now that he's now a reluctant ally for them, she figured that she might keep them updated about what's happened. She puts her helmet down and walks down the dirt path.

She's alone this time around. Leo insisted that he go with her, but she needed to do this by herself. It took a little sweet talk to get him to agree. She's known him for a year, so she knows how to convince him.

She sees all the gravestones as she walks by, her eyes softening. Each one holds someone that was loved...that left their families behind.

When she reaches the ones that she's looking for, she stops, and smiles weakly. Sitting there on the ground in front of the three graves are flowers, a bunch of them. They surround the graves in all sorts of colors and types. And she knows exactly who did it.

On the ground near the graves...

Is a single purple vine.

 **Angel: It didn't hit me until just now that Carol, Amy's sister-in-law, shares the same first name as April's mom...XD To be fair, I didn't think that they'd give April's mom's first name out. *pinches nose with a small sigh* Too late to do anything about it now...**


	55. Air Turtle

"Hot soup!" Leo jumps into the air, holding a basketball. He gets a slam dunk, causing his brothers to groan.

"Aw man..."

Everyone except Raph are in hoodies that match their bandanas. Amy is sitting in the bleachers nearby as she claps for her boyfriend.

"Come on, you can kick his butt!" Ann shouts, pointing to Leo. She's in a maroon hoodie.

"Ann, that's my boyfriend you're talking about," Amy raises a brow at her.

"Yeah, but he's a braggart."

"No, he's not," Lily waves it off, looking away. She's in a sunshine yellow hoodie. "S-Sometimes."

"Leon's on fire tonight, boys!" The basketball is thrown to him. "Next basket's for the win!"

"Mikey, d up! Let's shed his flashy blue face down!" Raph declares in determination.

Leo just laughs, balancing the ball on his finger, and then on his arms. "You can't guard me. Double me, I dare you."

"Are you daring us to double you?" Mikey points at him.

"No, I'm double daring you to double me," Leo grins boastfully. Donnie is just on his phone without caring about the conversation.

"You did not just double dare us to double you!" Raph yells in rage. He and Mikey stand in front of him as Leo looks between them. Donnie waves his hands behind Mikey.

"I'm open! Transfer it!" Instead, Leo dribbles it between his legs, hitting the ball with his back. It smacks Donnie in the face and it goes flying into the air. The red-eared slider grabs it in mid-air.

"Victory!"

"No!" Raph shouts as he tries to block it. The ball hits the floor and goes flying.

"No!" Mikey and Raph shout in horror. The girls watch as it circles the net, falling inside. Donnie sighs as he puts a hand to his cheek. He's never made a basket while playing, ever. And everytime he's paired up with Leo, he hits him in the face to get a basket.

"Sorry, Don-Ton," Leo dances behind. "Gotta win. Tried losing once, wasn't for me. Win at all costs. Boom! Catchphrase win," he starts dancing, Mikey covering his eyes. Raph growls as he holds the ball.

"This happens every time!"

"Not the dancing. Anything but the dancing," Mikey pleads, looking away.

"You're just jealous I have a cheering section," He gestures to the girls, Amy giving a deadpan look.

"Let's get out of here," Raph grunts, waving over Ann and Lily. "Come Lily and Ann, we'll walk you home. Mellie, you coming?"

"No, I have my remote, I'll be fine," She holds up the device, waving to them as they leave. She stands up and walks over to her boyfriend.

"I'm the best, I'm the best, I'm the best," Leo sings as he sees the brunette, stopping. "Come dance with me, my lady!" He takes her hand and spins her around.

"Papi!" She laughs up at him. "I had something to show you after the game, remember?"

"Oh yeah," He releases her, an arm around her waist. "So where's this thing you wanted to show me?" Leo asks Amy as she's flipping through a baking catalog.

"It's really beautiful," She stops on a brand-new oven. "It's the Oven-Automatic! It can bake anything with the right temperatures set up by pastry and it takes less time to bake them...but it's too expensive, I can't afford it," She frowns a little. "It'd really help my business, too..."

"What are you talking about? You're loaded," He raises a brow. "Like, stupidly loaded."

"Not anymore...remember when I had to pay for damages for you guys at basically every place we visit? It's eaten up my savings account," She pinches her nose. "Along with my mom's medical bills and with your stuff, I don't have enough to buy it...maybe someday."

He frowns a bit at her sad expression. She really wanted that oven...and he wants to help her, but he doesn't know how...maybe if he saved up enough money, he could buy it for her! And then she'd be really happy.

Suddenly, the basketball goes flying over their heads, and goes into the net. "What?" Leo asks as they look up. A man steps up behind the two. He snickers, clapping as he stops behind them.

"Nice moves, man."

Leo gasps sharply as he recognizes him. "Are you all-star player, turned billionaire slash owner slash recording artist Tim Dunkman?!" His eyes shine at him.

"Call me the Dunk. I saw those sweet dance moves and I got a business proposition for you. It's no secret that my team stinks. They're losers. You know what, I couldn't buy a single sack of nickels with any of them."

"A sack of what?" Leo asks in confusion.

"Money term," Amy whispers to him. "Tell you later."

"Who's this sweet thang here?" He turns to the brunette, who has a slightly irritated look.

"Okay, I know you're a billionaire and all, but one thing you cannot do is call me sweet thang," She warns him.

"Oh, my little dove?" Leo hugs her close with a smile. "My girlfriend Amy."

"You know what? I like the pep of your pizza and the squeak of your sneaks. How'd you like to be-"

"Your new power form who makes a witting dunking game seven?" Leo imagines himself being a player.

"No," Tim whacks away the ball. "Of course not. You're just a random guy with olive green skin playing the park. What I need is someone to get my crowd hype, to get my team hype. I need you to be the mascot for my New York Daves."

"Ugh, those guys," Amy rolls her eyes. "They suck dick."

"Language, pink-a-boo," Leo turns to her.

"No, no, she's right," Tim shakes his head.

"Think about this, Leo," She whispers to him. "Are you sure you can do this?"

He takes a look at her, imaging her face when she sees her new oven. He really wants to show her how hard he can work hard, and that oven would really help her.

"Still great! Wait, I thought you were called the Vipers."

Tim simply coughs as he remembers their name change.

 _The audience in the basketball stadium was almost nonexistent. Some people were even sleeping. "Congratulations, you have won our contest to rename the team! What's it gonna be? Dragons? Dunkings?" He held out the microphone to a man standing there with a big smile._

 _He just blinked. "I'm Dave."_

" _Dave! Dave! Dave! Dave!" The people cheered._

That's the last time he holds a contest to change the team's name. "What do you say?" He holds out a hand to Leo. He leans in towards Tim.

"Do I get paid?"

"Of course."

* * *

"I'm in!" Leo places the Dave head over himself as he's in the costume. "Let's go!"

The team runs past him as Amy is sitting behind him.

A player throws the ball, but it somehow ends up going through the net from the other side.

"Yeah, let's go, come on," Leo does a cartwheel, one of the players landing on the ground. The referee blows the whistle.

The shortest one defends the ball, only to have it snatched away. The newspapers document their loses.

The Dunk is facepalming as the team walks past him. "Mr. The Dunk," Leo speaks up, his mascot head off. "I'm so sorry, I'm doing my best out there."

"It's not your fault," He turns around to the team. "It's these losers!"

"Have you ever thought...oh, never mind," Leo rubs the back of his neck.

"Don't hold out on the Dunk, kid. Whatcha got?" The Dunk looks at him pleadingly.

"Well, one time, I was in a rut, but I found a lucky rock," Leo holds out a rock that was in his costume.

"A lucky rock?" Amy raises a brow at him. "Does that actually work?"

"I had it when I asked you out," He grins at her. "So, yes!" She blushes, putting a bang behind her ear. "Next thing you know, no more rut!"

"So, what's so special about that rock?" The Dunk looks at him in confusion, wondering where he's going with this.

"It's not about the rock. It's about changing your mojo," Leo tells the man.

"So you're saying..." The Dunk rubs his chin.

"You need to do whatever it takes to change your mojo," The turtle starts to walk off.

"And you do that by-"

"Whatever it takes," Leo repeats to him with a big smile. "Come on, Ames, it's pizza night, and you're driving!"

"That's every night," She giggles as he leads her away. "But are you sure that was the right advice to give him? I mean, he is a businessman. He might take the easy way out. I know, I'm a fellow business woman."

"What could go wrong?" He shrugs at her. "By the way, does the suit turn you on?"

"A dopey short guy?" She eyes him up and down. "No. You look less of an idiot without it."

"Hey!" He pouts at her and he silently reminisces the time that she had to sleep in his room because of Bullhop. She said almost the exact same thing before they went to sleep. "Am I always an idiot to you?"

"Honestly?" She asks and he nods. "At first, you were this big flirt who made a fool of himself...but now, you do it less and I don't regret answering yes to going out with you."

He grins, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Aww, look at my lady being all sweet," He kisses her cheek repeatedly, causing her to laugh.

"You always need to put in a bakery joke once a day, don't you?" She smiles and he grins with his lips near her neck.

"That one wasn't a joke, pink-a-boo."

"I'm not even wearing pink anymore," She turns to him in confusion. "Why do you still call me that?"

"Because zebra-boo doesn't roll off the tongue as much," He says in a duh tone, causing her to smile in amusement.

* * *

The next night, everyone is there as Leo flips to a stop nearby. Donnie is on his phone again just like at their basketball game. "You guys are in luck," He takes off the mascot head. "I'm breaking out my new victory dance once we win tonight."

"Yeah right," Raph deadpans at his brother.

"Trust me, I'm on the inside," Leo turns to them with a grin.

"As a mascot?" April chuckles a bit.

"More of a consultant who wears a costume and fires a t-shirt cannon. The Dunk listens to me. Dove, give me a kiss for good luck."

She flinches slightly as her friends make kissy noises. "Ugh," She groans at them. "I'm only doing it because it's you..." She stands up and leans in, pecking his lips.

"Aww, that's sweet," Mikey clasps his hands. Leo grins as he helps her sit back down. Of course, she's in front because she knows him. And because Leo requested she get a front row seat. He's saved up almost enough to get her that oven!

* * *

"We haven't won a game all season," The Dunk has his back to the team in the locker room. "But that all changes tonight! Because you've got something no one else has."

"Heart...?" A player looks up at him.

"No, me," The Dunk jerks a thumb to himself. "An eccentric billionaire willing to do whatever it takes to win! Including purchasing an ancient good luck arch that will change our losing mojo to winning mojo!" In the basketball stadium, there's a creepy, grey arch for the players to exit out of. "My arch is gonna turn you wannabes into armies! Andy, put that on my next album," He puts away his phone. "Now let's go win!"

"Those guys are gonna whoop the Daves," Raph points to the opposing team, the Knights. The buzzer goes off and Leo slides to a stop.

"Yeah! Let's go! Smoosh, smoosh! Let me hear ya!" Leo dances around and Ann laughs, recording him. Amy records him too as the referee smiles, nodding along. He laughs as he fires a t-shirt cannon. One of them hits Dave, and then he gets covered in t-shirts.

"Yay!" He emerges from the mountain, wearing a t-shirt.

"Pink-a-boo, here!" He fires a golden t-shirt and it lands in her hands. She opens it up. There's a logo of Leo unmasked on it in his uniform.

 _Mascot's Most Supportive Girlfriend_

"Oh wooow," She giggles at it as the others snap photos for them to laugh at later.

"I'm Dave! Get loud!" Leo announces from his megaphone while sitting on top of a knight's shoulders. Amy laughs, clapping for him while wearing the t-shirt. Not only does she love his dancing, but she gets to watch him do this all the time. Again, there's not many in the stadium to get loud.

"And now," The lights dim as purple lighting shines. "The starting line-up, the New York Daves!"

The arch activates as the Daves step through, feeling the effects. When they step through, they suddenly look like zombies. They groan as they walk onto the court.

"Yeah, let's go, come on! Let me hear you!" Leo hollers while waving his arms.

The referee blows the whistle. "Atta ball!" He throws up into the air. The Knight player catches it, and runs right past the Daves. They do nothing to stop them as they're stiff. The eye from the arch turns purple and just when the Knights approach the net, the Daves' eyes glow green. They have wide smiles on their faces as they watch the player jump into the air. The smallest one crawls onto the net like a spider, a wide smile on his face. He catches the ball with his mouth, shocking the Knight player.

The Dave player knocks him away from the net, landing on the ground. He spits out the ball and it lands in a player's hand. He chuckles as he dribbles the ball around rapidly. He then throws it to another player, who does the same thing. He jumps up, everything but his head spinning around. He throws the ball to his teammate, who passes it to the final player. He's simply flying in the air when he catches the ball, getting a slam dunk. There's a creepy smile on his face. He swings around and lands in the court.

All of the players growl like rabid dogs, everyone sweating nervously. Donnie eyes them as Amy squints her eyes.

"Is it me, or are the Daves acting...weird?"

"...Yeah!" Both Leo and the Dunk cheer in unison. Soon, the Daves are on a winning streak. "Let me hear you," Leo sprays around a can. "Let's go, come on!" He does a snow angel on the court. Then he and the Dunk hug each other.

In minutes, they've got 48 to 0. The arch is still sparking. A Knight player catches the ball, the Dave player nearby growling. He hits the man and the whistle blows.

"Leo!" Raph calls out, standing up. "Are you noticing anything weird going on with the team?"

"Yeah, they're awesome," Leo replies back. "That arch must really be working. My idea."

"Arch?" Amy looks at it. Donnie puts down his goggles and examines it.

"Yeah, Dave, is it? That arch is severely mystic," He informs his brother.

"That would explain why they're so creepy and not human," Mikey comments as the players are growing larger. The Knight player in front of them shakes in fear.

"Boys, looks like this trip just went from personal, to business," Raph grins, taking off his hoodie.

"Hey! You're all just jealous that once I joined the Daves, they went from losers to Leos! Which means they're winners," He places his hands on his hips.

"Oh really? Those look like winners to you?" Amy crosses her arms as she looks behind him. He turns around and yelps, as they've turned into mutants, terrorizing the other team. The referee blows his whistle for them to stop, but one of them grabs the man and throws him.

"That's not good..." Leo murmurs, his mascot head off.

"That is so good!" The Dunk shouts at this. The referee hits the net, blowing his whistle again. "Yeah!" The Dunk laughs as the team goes back to them, now half-time.

"I don't wanna say I told you so, but..." Amy steps up to her boyfriend, leaning in towards his ear. "I told you so."

"Uhh, Sir Dunk," Leo speaks up to him. "I think we may have accidentally bought this evil arch that may or may not have possessed your players..."

"Who cares?! They're winning! Look, I can't thank you enough! Winning tastes so good!"

Leo stares at him in disbelief. "Uh, they're not even human! They can snap bones at the drop of a hat, and you don't even care?!"

"Mind your own business. You don't know anything about winning," He points a finger at her. Leo slaps his arm away, glaring at him.

"Hey, don't talk to my girlfriend that way! I don't care how famous or cool you are, but you're a jerk!" Leo points a finger at his chest.

"Papi, I got this," Amy puts down his arm, glaring at the Dunk. "If you ever talk to me like that again, I'll cut off more than just that stupid haircut."

"Whatever," He waves it off and she points her shotgun right in his face. He sweats nervously, laughing. "I mean, so noted! Please don't hurt me."

She huffs and Leo slides back to the others. He puts down the mascot head, lightly hitting his legs as he feels awkward. "...So about that arch thingy..."

"Ya think?" Mikey asks sarcastically.

"That is why I've called an expert on all things mystic," Donnie has his phone to his ear.

"Ugh," Draxum groans from the phone. "Point me at the idiot."

He holds out his phone to Leo. "Do you know what you've done?!" Donnie's spider shell grabs Leo's face, another arm holding the phone.

"What? Ah..." Leo stammers a little.

"That is the Arch of Aquinnah. Whoever walks under it is turned into, oh, I don't know, a demonic warrior?!"

"Ohh yeah, that makes sense," Leo nods in agreement. Amy facepalms at him. "Without admitting any fault, there may have been some signs."

 _4 hours earlier..._

 _Literal demonic creatures were rocking out in front of the arch in front of Leo. "Power to all who cross under me!"_

 _He smiled sheepishly._

"Why?" Amy rubs a temple and he hugs her gently.

"I'm sorry, forgive me?" He gives her puppy eyes and she just looks at Draxum.

"The only way to reverse the power of the arch is to defeat its demons in battle!" Draxum informs all of them.

"Ah yes, so in this case, a game of basketball," Donnie mispronounces the last word.

"...Donnie, I know you know how to say it. We're all onto you. Okay, here's the plan," Raph gets everyone into a huddle.

"Let me in," Leo jumps up from behind. "You need a full team!"

"Look Leo, we need to work as a team. Take your 'winning takes all costs' attitude back to your boy Dunk!" Raph looks over his shoulder. Amy is the only one that gets out of the huddle, crossing her arms.

"Hey!" He protests, trying to push his way in and bouncing onto the floor. Amy laughs at him, and when he looks up at her, she clears her throat.

"Leo, you're the one who advised him to get it in the first place," He winces at the non-nickname from her. "If you had just listened to me when I told you not to tell him to 'win by doing whatever it takes,' we wouldn't even be here." She turns back around to the others and he frowns. He just wanted to make her happy and help the Dunk's team win...but now he's disappointed her and caused the team to turn into demonic mutants!

"You're right."

They turn to him in confusion as a spotlight is on him. He's literally on one knee in front of Amy, her eyes widening. She glances around in all directions, wondering if this is really happening right now. "I'm sorry. That eccentric billionaire who was kind of a surrogate father figure to me...has shown me a version of myself I don't like. I've been a ball hog, a bad teammate...and worst of all, I've been a bad," He gags into his mouth. "I've been a bad," He struggles to get the word out. "I've been a bad-"

Their eyes shine as they realize what he's saying. "I've been a bad-" He shakes his head, sticking out his tongue. "B-b-b-b-brother! I've been a bad brother!" He takes Amy's hand. "Dove, will you please-"

"Alright, alright, I'll forgive you. Just...get up from the floor," She looks away, covering her red face. "This is not the time to propose, and anyway, we're too young. I would've said no anyway if you finished that question."

Even if she wants to get married, it wouldn't change the fact that proposing on a basketball court is the most tackiest thing EVER. And all of that was just to get her to forgive him, anyway, because he knew that she'd stop him.

"What, so our brother's not good enough to be your husband?" Raph gestures to Leo with an accusing look.

"He's charming," April leans on Leo slightly.

"He's somewhat charming," Donnie rolls his eyes. "If by charming, you mean always being annoying."

"Any girl would be lucky to have him," Mikey crosses his arms, nodding in agreement.

"Not all of us," Ann mutters under her breath.

"The ceremony would be so beautiful," Lily's eyes shine as she clasps her hands. She loves weddings and wants to be a wedding planner someday. To her, they were just so magical.

The brunette looks at all of them, honestly in disbelief. She couldn't believe they were doing this right now. "We're not even—I'm not even old enough! I'm not-" Amy screeches in a high-pitched voice and Raph laughs.

"Oh, I know. We just wanted to get your voice high. Leo's right, it is funny when you do that."

"Jerks," She glares at him as everyone is laughing except one person. Leo pulls her down to his level and hugs her, humming happily. She smiles and hugs him back, leaning up and kissing his forehead. "Thanks for finally having common sense."

"Eh, never had it to begin with."

Leo stands up and they all hug.

"Let's speed, ballers," Raph declares as they have determined looks in their eyes.

"We'll sit this one out," Ann waves to them from the side. "But I'm referee and Lily can be a cheerleader."

"Go Mad Dogs!" She's suddenly dressed in a yellow cheerleader outfit with pom poms. The 6 are now dressed in yellow basketball outfits.

"Wait!" Leo gasps at Amy. Her hair is in pigtails, her hands on her hips. "You play basketball?"

"Well, my brother did in high school. I just watched him."

"Now I know we were meant to be!" He points at her with a stupid grin.

"Yeah!" Raph stomps his foot.

"Time to put your evil spirit back in the arch!" Leo states as Donnie throws the ball into the air. Leo spins around and smacks the ball into a player. "Bounce pass!"

A Dave player dives for it, but misses. Raph catches it into his hands and slam dunks. "Boom shacka lacka!"

A Dave player dribbles the ball, throwing it into the air. Leo is hiding behind the basketball net as he turns around to reveal himself. He smacks the ball to April. "From downtown!" She throws it and it goes into the basket. Mikey blocks a Dave player.

"Was your mama a house?" He steals the ball. "Because you're putting up bricks!" He jumps onto the head of the smallest player, spinning around and getting a slam dunk.

Leo passes the ball to Amy and she dribbles it, spinning past the players. He watches her in awe as she jumps past a flying player. She spins around and jumps, throwing the ball and getting a three pointer. "Whoo hoo!"

"Wow," Leo blinks at her. "I have never loved you more."

"Stop flirting, we have a game to win," She smirks, pushing him away slightly.

"K-N-I-G-H-T-S! What's that spell? Knights!" Lily throws up her pom poms and does a cartwheel. She lands on her feet and raises her arms to catch her pom poms. Mikey's eyes widen at her.

"Yeah, Princess Peach!"

Her eyes widen at the nickname and then she smiles.

They have 120 to 90 when Ann blows the whistle, seeing something. "Uh, guys?"

"Time out!" The Dunk calls out from underneath the arch. "You know what? I gotta do everything myself."

They all gasp as they see him. The arch activates and it turns the Dunk into a large one-eyed mutant. "The power...It's on..." He jumps and lands behind Leo. "Former employee I looked at like a surrogate son. You're not getting a dime out of me! Game on!"

"Let's go!" Leo points at them. The Dunk is much stronger and faster, getting slam dunks like it was nothing. Soon, it's 120 to 119, with only 32 seconds left in the game. The Dunk dribbles the basketball as he heads to the net. The six stand in front of him, trying to block. He jumps into the air and gets another slam dunk.

"Buckets!"

Now it's 121 for the Daves, and 120 for the Knights.

"Time out!" Leo calls out and Ann blows the whistle.

"Ah! They're too good," Mikey falls in exhaustion. Lily runs over to him and pours a water bottle over his head. She then takes out a towel and fans at his face. "Maybe we just need to accept we're under our troll now."

"We can do this," Leo wraps an arm around him. "I've got an idea. Donnie, you ready to win this thing?"

"You're just gonna bounce-throw it off my head again, aren't you?" Donnie asks knowingly. He hasn't made a single basket the whole game.

"No, they're expecting me to take the last shot," Leo brings his hands together. "That's why...you're gonna do it."

Mikey cringes at this news.

"Me?!" Donnie exclaims as April gasps.

"Papi. Pastelito," Amy takes a deep breath, placing a hand on Leo's shoulders. "Listen to me. I'm not sure if you remember this, but...he sucks!"

" _Brain dance!" Donnie threw up the basketball, hitting the net. "And boom goes the Donnie-mite!" He threw the ball, hitting net again. He then got a slam dunk. "Game...blouses." He smirked in the middle of a playing field for kids._

"Are we sure about this?" Mikey asks skeptically.

"What? What?" Donnie looks around, wondering the same thing.

"He's not exactly the best player..." Amy crosses her arms, glancing at her boyfriend. "And we have 30 seconds left or else those things could terrorize the city. Are you sure you wanna entrust this to Donnie?"

"Yes." Donnie looks up at Leo. "I believe in you. You've got this."

"Your confidence is giving me confidence!" Donnie's eyes shine and Amy smiles a bit. It kind of reminds her of her big brother.

"Well, if Leo believes in you, then so do I," She speaks up with a small smile.

"Aw, my lady still has faith in me," Leo grins at her, eyeing her outfit. "Can we play basketball every day?"

"Sorry, can't," Amy smirks, knowing fully well why he asked. It's so he can see her wear this. "I gotta pay bills and you have your own things to do."

" _I will die for you if you wear this more often."_

"Leo, focus," Ann tells him, rolling her eyes.

"Team on three," Leo holds out his hand and they all join in. "One two three."

"Team!" They all exclaim as they throw their hands in the air. Well, Mikey does a dab. The game begins again with little time left. Ann hands Leo the ball and blows the whistle. He narrows his eyes slightly, Donnie winking at him. He puts the ball between his hands.

"Ah, run!" Donnie runs off. The player, distracted by this, runs right into Raph.

"Bounce pass!" Leo throws it to Donnie, who catches it. The Dunk jumps towards him, but he leaps into the air.

"Out of the way! Drip drop!" He throws the ball and it soars towards the basket. Everyone stops to look at the ball as it slowly soars into the air.

"I'm Dave!" Dave exclaims from his seat. Donnie sees it's about to go in. "Yeah!"

However, as usual, he misses it. "No! Ah!" Everyone has a panicked look on his face. Except Leo, who jumps up and catches it.

"Hot soup!" He slams dunks it so hard that the glass breaks. "Oh ho ho ho!" They win with 122 points. 'Knights Win' is displayed on the jumbo screen.

"Nooo!" The Dunk shouts as he starts sparking. He clenches his fists as his whole body turns purple, along with the others. They suddenly disappear from thin air as the arch deactivates, turning all the players and the Dunk back to normal.

Everyone stays silent at what just happened, Leo smiling. "Did you know he would miss?" Raph turns to Leo curiously.

"Just because I became a team player doesn't mean Donnie is magically good at basketball," Leo stands, handing his big brother the ball. "The lucky rock," He throws it into his hand. "The lucky rock. Do do do do, lucky rock~"

"How are you still dating him?" Ann asks the brunette, shaking her head in disbelief. None of them could believe that Leo made that stuff up to Donnie.

"That, my friend, is a question that still needs an answer," She places her hands on her hips.

* * *

Amy and Leo arrive back in her loft as she opens the door to the living room. He sighs in exhaustion, planting himself on the couch. She's holding his Dave costume, taking a look at it.

"Just so you know, you're not keeping this here."

"Aww," He pouts slightly at this. "Okay. Can you make me some cookies?"

"Already did."

He looks up as the oven dings and she opens it up to reveal freshly baked cookies. "I had the oven on low so that they'd be done by the time we get back."

Leo smiles in relief. "How do you know me so well, my lady?"

"Instinct, I guess," She shrugs as the pig comes crawling into the living room. "But you have to wait a bit, they're hot."

He simply hums as a response to her statement. Chewbacon sees the costume and Amy pulls up the photos on her phone. She puts it down in front of Chewbacon so that he can snicker at them. She knows that he can't tell anyone that he saw them, anyway. She puts down the mascot t-shirt that Leo fired at her before putting down the costume. Leo wanted to keep it, and the Dunk had declined before Amy got in the way. In a matter of seconds, he agreed, and Amy also agreed not to get him sued for his reckless actions.

She's a business woman. She has her ways of getting lawyers.

She stares at the turtle, who's leaning against the couch. She looks at the costume on the ground and then at him. She never really had the chance to ask him _why_ he decided to be a mascot for the Daves (The Dunk REALLY should change that name).

"Papi...Can I ask you something?" She starts off.

"It's a free country, my lady," He replies coolly.

"...Why'd you even take that job?" Amy asks slowly and he doesn't respond. "What could you have possibly risked everything for? I mean, you were gonna let Donnie lose for us if you hadn't stepped in. Not to mention that Tim basically neglected his team just to win one lousy game. And he didn't even pay you after all that. What were you going to use the money on?"

He looks towards the ground. Now that he can't get the Oven-Automatic...he might as well tell her the truth. Leo sighs, closing his eyes. He takes a moment before he finally answers.

"...It was because of you..."

She blinks at him in shock. She's so confused by what he means by that. She never _told_ him to take up that job. Hilarious as he was on the court and how supportive she was to him, mostly, she would never make him do anything. And if she hadn't been supportive, she would've advised him not to do it.

"What...?" Amy murmurs quietly.

"I only did it to buy you that Oven-Automatic!" He exclaims and her eyes widen at him. "I know how much you wanted it, and the only reason why you don't have it...is because of us," He glances up at her. "I just wanted to surprise you and make you happy. You know...like a non-idiot boyfriend is supposed to do. And, you know, even though you went to all the games, even drove me there when I needed you to...I couldn't see that smile on your face," He sits up, his arms on his knees in disappointment.

The girl pauses and then smiles softly. She never would've guessed that he did all of this just to get her something she really wanted. She may not have that oven, but she does have something else instead. She leans in and kisses him on the cheek, surprising the turtle.

"Papi...that's really sweet, but...you mean more to me than some oven. I wouldn't trade that for the world, and I don't need that thing to be happy."

"You...don't?" He looks up at the girl.

"No," She shakes her head and leans forward, hugging him. He stares at the back of her head, touched. "I have you to make me happy...and I don't think you're an idiot boyfriend. You're a great one if you put yourself through that for me."

He grins, hugging her back. "...You still want it, don't you?"

"Oh, definitely."

"But you love me more~"

She pauses, biting her lip and he gasps sharply, pulling back to look at her. "You love that thing more than me?! Shame on you, Amelia Elizabeth Smith!" He stands up, crossing his arms.

"Relax, I was kidding," She giggles and he hugs her again, nuzzling her cheek.

"I love you more than basketball or Jupiter Jim or even my brothers! And we're usually the Mad Dogs, though I'm more of a wolf, if you ask me," He then starts making wolf sounds, causing her to roll her eyes.

"Alright wolf, calm down. Go be a good boy and get off me so I can get those cookies."

"Nooo!" He pecks her cheek repeatedly. "I wanna cuddle~"

"How is it that you make me look sane in comparison?" She pinches her nose, giggling at his lips tickling her. "Oh my god, stop it! Get off!"

"Oh no, I'm down with the rat flu again!" He puts an arm to his head in exasperation. "I can't stop myself! I missed you so much!"

"We just won a game, and I drove us back here. I was never gone!" She giggles, trying to push him away.

"Come give me a hug, pink-a-boo! I love you~!" He continues kissing her cheek, tackling her onto the ground. She has no way to get herself free now.

"Stop! Leo," Amy lets out another laugh. "I'm gonna kill you if you don't let me go!"

"But I love you so much," He grins widely at her, holding her wrists. He's completely towered over her, her hair all over the carpet underneath.

"Let me go!"

"If I let you go, will you cuddle with me later? And you say that you love me?"

"I already did..." She sweats a little at the back of her head.

"I know, but I like it when I hear it from you."

Amy smiles in amusement, shaking her head. She relents on him way too often...but if it weren't for him, she wouldn't laugh again or even smile. She does love him, but she has to remind herself to say it more often or else he'll never let her live it down.

"I love you, Papi."

"Good. I'll make a girlfriend out of you yet, dove."

"Ha ha," She pushes him away playfully and walks off.

"Cookies!" Leo does a little dance as he follows her.


	56. Pizza Puffs

In an alley, there's a familiar truck sitting there. Guy Flambe is eating something, holding up a small food item. "These pizza puffs are amazing! Can I double my order?"

"Certainly, Chef Flambe," The seller grins at him. "Just give us a moment. I'm adding a special ingredient just for your client. Your restaurant will be the talk of the town," He's putting in a toxin on top of the pizza puffs, chuckling.

"Sounds great. If I don't eat 'em all myself," He takes another bite.

"Well, here they are, matey," A big bag of puffs are held out in front of them. "Guaranteed to slay with flavor~"

"Not so fast, Sweats!" Raph is standing on a rooftop of a building, Amy standing next to him with an annoyed look on her face. He's wearing a superhero costume with a red cape and everything. Amy isn't wearing anything special, no matter how many times he begged her to be his sidekick. "Your mystic poison puffs are off this menu!"

"Ugh," Amy facepalms at the giant turtle. He jumps off the rooftop and Amy backflips. Raph lands on top of the seller while the brunette lands near the pizza puffs.

"Poison? But it's so good-"

"Hey," Raph grabs his arm before he could touch it. "Didn't you just hear me? They're dangerous!"

The seller pops up behind them and together, they knock him away from Flambe. A hammer slides to the ground. "This isn't a restaurant supplier. It's your old rival, Rupert Swaggart. Or should we say...Meat Sweats?!" He pulls down the hoodie to reveal the pig's head.

"You're lucky Loose Lips comes to my bakery or else we wouldn't have found out about it," Amy glares at him.

"First he lures you with delicious puffs, then sells you poisoned ones to ruin your business! He was gonna do it to all his old rivals." Flambe is about to eat another puff when Raph smacks it away. "Dude! They're poison!"

"Have you no common sense?" Amy crosses her arms. Suddenly the van starts up, getting their attention.

"Yes, and I'd have gotten away with it, if not for you, you pesky turtle and Pinkie!"

"Say that again to my face!" Amy challenges him, about to run off and punch him in the face, but he takes off in the van, covering her in smoke. She coughs, waving a hand in front of her face. "Damn it, we lost him. At least we know he'll be back with more puffs...

Raph places his hands on his hips bravely, his cape flowing in the wind.

"The Red Angel of Preventing Harm saves the day! Along with the Alluring Majestic of Youth!"

"...Are you serious?" Amy chuckles a bit, grabbing the sack.

"There's not that many adjectives that start with a Y! No thanks to my lame bros who were getting flaked on the mission," He reaches out to a pizza puff, a hand grabbing it. Flambe smiles sheepishly at the two. "Seriously?"

"Poison," Amy elaborates to him again.

* * *

"Hello?" Raph calls out as the two walk in. "Anyone gonna thank Raph or Amy for saving New York? By himself? Again? While everyone else was asleep and not helping? Eh," He shrugs after getting no answer. "That's what I thought."

He opens one of the cabinets to put the bag inside, sighing. "Guess I'll have Donnie analyze these in case there's any more out there." With a red marker, he puts a warning sign on it, closing the door. He closes it off with tape. "If he ever bothers to wake up."

"He gets it from Shelldon," Amy rolls her eyes as she was sitting on the kitchen counter. "Talking about he needs his intelligence sleep, ugh." She Jumps onto the ground, stretching her arms. Raph lets out a yawn as he stretches his back.

"Night Mellie..." He slowly goes over to his room. "You staying or leaving?"

"Staying. Too late for me to go home. Chewie can take care of himself," She replies, waving goodnight to him as she walks over to Leo's room. Ever since their secret was out, he's usually at her place on weeknights. Since it's a weekend, she stays over when she wants to. She steps into Leo's room, pulling out a bag from underneath his bed. She pulls out her pajamas from the bag and soon, she's dressed in her pajamas. She's wearing a white lace spaghetti-strapped shirt with blue shorts. She ties her hair into a bun and then crawls onto the bed, covering themselves with the blanket.

As if sensing she's arrived, Leo turns around and hugs her waist. He hums in his deep sleep as he can smell her hair. She smiles, closing her eyes as she snuggles into him. He holds her close, pecking her neck unconsciously.

"Goodnight to you too, papi..." She murmurs as she falls into into a deep sleep.

* * *

Night soon turns into day and when Raph opens up the cabinet, the pizza puffs are gone. "What?!"

In the living room, the three turtles are eating the pizza puffs for breakfast. "Delicious!" Leo smiles at the one between his fingers.

"As you know, I don't normally express emotion, but whoa ho ho, that's good!" Donnie grins, hands on his hips.

"It's like...a thousand angels touched each of my taste buds!" Mikey clasps his hands in joy.

"GUYS!" Raph shouts from the doorway. Their eyes widen at the loud voice. "What are you doing?! Those things have mystic poison! I clearly wrote danger, do not eat!" He holds up the bag.

"Oh ho ho ho, we didn't fall for that old chest nuts," Leo points at him.

"Selfish Raph, trying to keep us from eating his pizza puffs," Mikey looks at him teasingly.

"What?! W-Raph doesn't lie," He gestures to himself. "Mellie was with me, just ask her!"

"Oh really?" Donnie slides up to him. "How about when you tell us training starts an hour earlier because you know we're always late, hmm?" He looks up at the turtle accusingly.

"Or when you told Mikey that if he doesn't take out the trash, a trash monster will eat him in his sleep?" Leo grins up at him.

Raph pushes them away. "I only do that because you guys are irresponsible! I can't trust you to do simple stuff, like, show up for a mission!" He gestures to a mission chart before glaring down at Donnie and Mikey. "AND NOT EAT POISON! MELLIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"Ugh," She comes in a few seconds later, her hair an unraveled mess. She's holding a mango smoothie Leo left for her before they decided to eat the puffs. "What?" She leans against the door, trying to stay awake. Raph storms up to her.

"They ate the pizza puffs! The poisoned ones!"

She snores a bit as her eyes are closed. Raph grunts in frustration. "Sorry, could you just...repeat that one more time?" She mumbles quietly.

"MELLIE!" He shouts in her ear, causing her to jolt awake. She rubs at her ear.

"If you don't adjust your voice, I'm gonna snap your neck," Amy sees the empty bag, gasping. "You guys! Those things are poisoned!"

"That's what I said! And that they're irresponsible! Which is why they shouldn't have eaten poison!"

"What poison? I don't feel anything," Leo tells him. Raph turns away from the frightened Mikey and Donnie.

"Meat Sweats put a mystic toxin in-"

Everyone stops short as sweat is all over Leo's body. "Are you sweating?"

"Yeah, a little. But only because my hand is on fire," He holds up his burning left hand. He douses it with his forehead. "See? Right as rain." The fire reappears and Amy's eye twitches in disbelief at it. He cringes in pain. Amy covers her mouth a bit, shocked.

"Typical, overprotective Raph. Worried about nothing," Mikey states as his neck moves around like jello. Raph gasps at him and he falls onto the ground, bended over. He shouts in alarm, pointing to the youngest turtle.

"See! It you got you too!"

"What? Just a little taste of jelly bones?" He holds up his arms, which falls onto the ground. "I'll be fine..."

"You know, come to think of it, I do have a bit of an upset stomach," Donnie rubs his chin. The belt around him snaps off, flying onto Amy's face with a smack. She growls slightly at him and he smiles sheepishly. "Maybe I didn't get enough to eat..."

He holds out a hand to the puff on the floor. "Don't eat that," Raph warns him.

"Oh, yeah, gross, it's been on the floor," Donnie agrees with the biggest turtle.

"AND IT'S POISON!" Raph reminds him in annoyance.

"Uh huh," Donnie picks it up. "Assuming we believe you, color me skeptical, my goggles will spot any—whoa, that is a lot of mystic. Okay, I better analyze this puff and see if I can whip up an antidote," He rubs his chin as he examines it.

"Told you," Amy rolls her eyes.

"Now you're talking sense," Raph grins at him.

"Orrr, we take one last ride on the flavor train!" Leo exclaims, to Raph's disbelief. "Chugga chugga choo choo!"

Donnie silently agrees as he throws it up into the air and with a laser, splits it into three pieces. One each lands in their mouths.

"NO! That was our last chance to find a cure," Raph slides in front of them.

"Are you insane?! Why would you do that?" Amy asks them, holding her head.

"You're gonna have jelly bones forever," Raph points at her in agreement.

"Relax, Raph will fix it," Mikey slithers around their feet.

"Yeah, and stop stressing out my lady," Leo adds in. "It's not good for her."

"I'm Raph!" He shouts at the turtle. "See, this is the problem! You guys expect me or Mellie to solve everything. But we'll never be a strong team unless you learn to solve things yourselves. And that starts today, all of y-"

"Wait, did I miss a meeting or something?" Amy cuts in. "Why do _I_ need a lesson in responsibility? I'm older than them."

"Yeah, but you're reckless."

Her eyes go wide as she gestures to herself. "I pay bills. I take care of my mom. I have a JOB just to pay for your nonsense, and I'm _reckless_?"

"You're a loose cannon. You just need to manage your anger better."

"Mm, okay. After you said you were fine with it? How's this for managing anger?" She pours her smoothie all over him.

"Hey! This is exactly what I mean, Mellie! You have a temper, and that's why I'm gonna teach you how to be more tame!"

"What makes you think I'm gonna bend over and kiss your butt just because you ask me to?! I have changed. You just want some authority just because you're a few months older!" She glares up at him.

"I'm your big brother and I'm trying to help you!" He points at her.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Leo asks the others.

"Raph can handle it."

"This is ridiculous! I'm responsible enough to hold down a job and take after someone. I don't need to do everything your way. And your brothers aren't going to learn responsibility on their own. They need guidance!" Amy gestures to the three. "I'm dating one of your brothers, for god's sake and I cannot tell you how many times he's messed up my shop looking after it!"

"Hey!" Leo pouts at her.

"Sorry!" She briefly looks over her shoulder, still annoyed with Raph.

"You think you know everything? Tell ya what. If they can do one thing without my help, I'll buy all of your pastries. And if they don't, you have to do things my way!"

"Fine!" She turns around, crossing her arms.

"So glad we worked that out!" He turns his shell to her back, arms crossed as well.

"Uh, guys-"

"So, who's got an idea on how we can track down Meat Sweats and find an antidote?" Raph asks them with closed eyes. They glance between Amy and Raph. The brunette is huffing to herself as she's grumbling something about Raph they'd rather not repeat out loud. No one says anything.

"...Oh, you mean us?" Leo gestures to himself.

"YES!" Raph shouts at him.

"Okay, fine," Mikey slithers up to him. "You know what? My super tongue already found a clue. In that puff, I tasted a special flower only available at one Swedish bakery. Nyeh," He sticks out a tongue. "He's nothing compared to big sis."

"Aw, Mikey, you mean that?" She looks at him softly.

"Mmhm!" He nods vigorously and she pats him on the head.

"Good brother," She sends Raph a glare and he huffs. Mikey smiles at Amy's gesture.

"Where's mine?" Leo pouts at her.

"Are you gonna burn my lips off?" She raises a brow.

"No! I can handle it. I'm not letting pizza puffs get in the way of my lady! But, just in case," He gives her an ice pack. Amy shakes her head and leans in, kissing his cheek affectionately. His whole face goes red like fire as the flames return. Her eyes widen as she quickly dumps the ice over his head, cooling him off.

"Great, Raph, check it out," Donnie waves him off, holding his stomach. "And hurry up, cause I think my stomach's getting worse."

His stomach suddenly gains a mouth. Amy steps back a bit, eyes wide. "Weren't you listening?! I'm trying to teach you to solve things yourselves!"

"Do they really look like they're in any shape to do that right now?" Amy gestures to the three. Leo is jumping up and down, his head catching on fire. Mikey moves around like a snake as Donnie looks at his stomach.

"Alright. I'll drive."

"And I'll follow," Amy storms towards the tunnel.

"Dove, wait, can't you two just make up-"

"NO!" The two shout in unison as they storm off in opposite directions.

"...Awkward..." Mikey murmurs once they're gone.

* * *

They come to a stop at the Boulangerie Bake Shop. Leo slowly looks over to Raph, shaking. "Are you sure you want _me_ to do this? Why not Ames? I don't feel so hot..." His head catches on fire again. "Oh, there we go."

"Papi, you look awful," Amy frowns in concern, a hand on his shoulder. He's hugging himself as his eyes look weary. Since Mikey couldn't move, they had to put him in a bowl. Unorthodox, but effective.

"My lady, if I don't make it...tell our children that I was a legacy...!" He cries out and she gives him a deadpan look, sweat appearing at the back of her head.

"But I'm 15 and not pregnant..."

"We need to know where Meat Sweats is. And you're the team's faceman. Get in there and do what you do best. Face," He gestures to his face and Leo groans at this.

"My lady, don't you know Rupert Swaggart?"

"Before he was Meat Sweats? No, and I'm glad I don't know him well enough to know where he would go," She scrunches up her nose.

"The faceman needs his lady or else I'm not doing it. And if I die, at least I'll get to say my last words properly."

"Aww," Mikey and Donnie comment in unison.

"If you ask me to marry you again, I will say no," She looks at him weirdly. "And you're overreacting, you've been poisoned. You're not dying on my watch."

"Fine," Raph pushes them towards the door. "Just go."

Leo opens the door, the baker spreading dough in his hands. "Hey buddy, I'm from, uh...well, I don't know, Swedish Chef Awards. And we're here to give some kind of, um...golden rolling pin. Nice. But I just need you to fill out a simple questionnaire," He puts on a chef's hat to cover up the flames. "And anyway, hey, what's up w-with Rupert Swaggart?"

"Ahh!" Tears appear in his eyes as he turns around, a golden light over him. "The Coveted Golden Rolling Pin? Oh, Amelia! Welcome back!"

"You two know each other?" Leo points between the two and she smiles a bit, waving at him.

"I used to visit here when I was a baby so that I'd learn something from him. He'd let me put on a chef hat and measure out the ingredients as soon as I started walking. Ahh, good times..." There's literally a picture of baby Amy wearing a chef's hat nearby, framed.

"So Rupert's address is written on a note under that stack of plates," He gestures to a tall stack nearby. "And if you just move them to the sink, I will retrieve it."

Leo stares at them, the poison kicking in and affecting his vision. He sees two stacks all of a sudden. "The stack on the right or the left? Never mind, I'll get both."

"Oh, Papi, I'll get them," Amy places her hands on his shoulders. "I don't think you're in any shape to move them..."

"No, you do this kind of stuff all the time. Now It's my turn. I got this," He gestures to himself and before she could protest, he stumbles, walking over to them. A few seconds later, there's a sound of crashing plates heard. Raph storms into the bakery.

"What the?!"

Somehow, some pots are on fire as Amy is covered in flour. The baker shouts in horror towards Leo. The sink is leaking as he looks over to the man.

"So about that address...?"

He throws Leo into the others. Amy tries to dust herself off.

"You can take this sweaty apron that Rupert Swaggart left behind!" He throws the apron onto Leo's shell with a huff. Amy hands him a check.

"Sorry about that. Here's the money to pay for the damages..."

"Ooh! Thank you, fraulein!" He takes the check and enters his bakery. Thankfully, this won't do anything to damage the friendship he has with Amy...

* * *

Leo is laying down in the Turtle Tank, surrounded by fans. Amy is fanning him with a towel as he's resting the back of his head on her lap.

"What are we gonna do now? All Leo got out of that chef was this sweaty apron." Donnie asks in worry. His stomach roars, "Calm down, tummy-toe. Calm down."

Mikey moves his neck over to Raph. "Don't worry, Raph's gonna bail us out like he always does."

Raph smacks him away, jerking a thumb to himself. "I'm Raph! And I'm not bailing you out! These guys are lost without me. Maybe I should help them." His authoritative self stares him down. "Make them do it themselves. It's the only way they'll learn." Then he puts on his nice face. "But they're just kids. And you can make them men!"

They stare at him weirdly as they heard everything. Leo is now sitting up. "Hey bud, did you eat one of these puffs?" He holds up a pizza puff out of nowhere.

"Tummy-tello hungry!" The stomach holds out a hand to the puff, which was unsettling to Mikey and Amy. Leo pushes it away and eats the puff.

"WHAT?!" Raph gets in his face. "You have more of those?!"

Leo swallows it, crossing his arms. "No, that was the last one," He looks away, eating another one. "Okay, that was the last one." His head catches on fire again and Raph growls, clenching his fists.

"Are you lying again?" Amy deadpans at her boyfriend.

"What? No! And besides, you could just...suck the poison out?" He grins as he leans in, pointing towards his lips.

"That's not how that works, and either way, I don't wanna get poisoned," She stands up, moving away from him.

"What?! I can't kiss or hug my lady until I'm cured?!" He tugs at her dress skirt, on his knees. "But I can't last that long..."

She turns to Raph. "Can I just point something out?" He says nothing, so she continues. "Coming from a family that always talked about being there for you and they shouldn't turn their back on each other? I understand that you want them to be sensible and for me to be tame. But at the same time, you're their big brother. You're supposed to be someone they can turn to."

Raph stares at her as the three look up. All of them are dead silent before she speaks up again.

"And there is no reason for you to just stop taking on their responsibilities except for the fact that you're sick of it. And am I the only one who can tell that they're not ready? Because what if they don't understand the lesson? _They're_ the family, and it's not something you turn your shell on!"

"I'm not-"

"You are if you think we're something that needs to be fixed!" She hisses, putting on her headphones. She goes over to her bike to check over it. Leo glares at Raph for making her pissed, because she has a point.

"C-Come on, guys, you can do this! Is the apron a clue?" Raph stammers nervously. Yes, he doesn't like doing everything for them, but he is also trying to guide them in the right direction. "Maybe Donnie could run some kind of spectral-scopic analysis?"

"Why would I waste my time with fake science when I could just use the Smell-ya-Later?!" He's now outside, attached to the Tank with a big nose over his face (something he'll never have in real life). He sniffs the apron. "Meat Sweats is definitely to the east!"

Amy is driving in front as she turns right. Leo looks like he's about to be sick as Raph skids right. "Ah, how fascinating and varied are the robust scents of New York City—oh, oh, no, not the garbage drive!"

"Why do we even have this?" Amy murmurs to herself.

"Yeah!" Donnie's tummy agrees.

"These smells are upsetting Tummy-tello! Turn!" Raph skids to the left. "No, no, no, cheese aging district!" As Raph moves around, Mikey slides back and forth, Leo looking sicker with each second. "Oh, sumo wrestling gym. Diaper cleaners!"

Leo holds the bowl Mikey's in and hurls. "Leoooooo!"

"Ooh, that sounds disgusting," Amy swallows up the vomit from her mouth. Donnie is swerving around due to Raph's driving. He snaps out of it.

"There! To the marina!"

Raph and Amy stop their vehicles, the four jumping out. Raph doesn't follow them as they hide behind crates. Donnie sniffs the air.

"Meat Sweats' stank seems to be coming from-"

"Over there!" Tummy-tello points to a small houseboat.

"Okay, Raph, time to smash your way aboard and make Meat Sweats give you the antidote!" Mikey declares, and as soon as he says that, Leo's phone rings. Raph sighs from the phone.

"Mikey, I'm in the Tank. What part about solving this yourselves don't you understand?"

"Oh my god, let's just get this over with," Amy murmurs, dragging a hand down her face.

"Well, boys and my lady, it's on us," Leo shudders as he hugs himself. "But first, how about some pizza puffs?!" He holds out three pizza puffs on fire. Raph shuts his eyes in anger.

"Stop...eating...THE POISON!"

Amy gives her boyfriend a blank look. Then her eyes widen in alarm as he's about to pass them out. She smacks the pizza puffs out of his hand, getting a small burn in return. "Ah!" She holds her wrist as there's a small burn mark. The three puffs fly into the water. She brings her head over her hand as she shakes slightly in pain.

"My lady!" Leo gasps a bit. "Are you okay?"

"...Owwww...mother..." She can't even finish that swear word as she groans slightly.

"Why did you do that?" Mikey pouts up at her.

"Maybe because I care? Look at yourselves, the poison is changing you. You think I was gonna let that happen again? Especially to you?" She looks up at Leo and his eyes soften. He finally realizes that they need to be responsible about this. "Those better have been the last pizza puffs..."

"They were, I swear," He frowns deeply for lying to her about it. And now because of that, she got a burn, the last thing he wanted to do.

"Liar," She glares at him in annoyance. He reaches out his hand to her and she moves her wrist away from him. Leo gives a sad look as she stands up. "I'm fine, but now I need to take it out on that pig..."

The oven dings as he pulls out muffins, kicking the door closed. "Okay, Meatie Sweetie," He turns to Leo, Donnie, Mikey, and Amy. "Hand over the antidote!"

"Preferably inside some of those exquisite pizza puffs?" Donnie asks, getting a smack on the head from Amy. "Ow!"

"No, you idiot, he could just poison them again!"

"You look like a light mess. Serves you right for monkeying with me plan to ruin me rivals' restaurants! I might just target you next," He points at Amy.

"Try it, and I'll shoot off your tail," She narrows her eyes. He grabs his hammer, pointing it at them.

"What say we even the score?"

Leo charges first, only to slip from a puddle of his sweat. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" He rolls straight into Meat Sweats' hammer. He lands in the ceiling and disappears. Amy gasps sharply at this.

"Hey!" She pulls out her weapon and charges forward. He spins around and smacks her with the hammer. She lands on the ground in front of him.

"Gastro-ingeritus!" Donnie yells, but the mutant pig opens up a trash can. Three fish fly out of it, and he hits all of them towards Donnie. They land in his nose and Tummy-Tello's mouth, sending him into the wall. "Why did it have to be trout?"

Leo lands on top of him. "Ow!"

He turns to Mikey, who's moving away as best as he can. He's using his chin to move across the floor. He turns around to Meat Sweats, laughing sheepishly. He lets out a scream, and since Leo didn't hang up, Raph can hear everything.

"I gotta get in there. No, they'll never learn if you always help 'em, Raph. But I can't just sit here. Mellie is right, I do just wanna get away from my responsibilities." His hand starts flapping as he's talking to the other version of himself. "This is for their own good!"

Raph charges forward and attacks himself.

"I'd have you for dinner," Meat Sweats approaches the four. With the poison still in the three turtles, there's nothing much they can do. "But you three look like three lumps of spoiled meat."

"I knew we'd never be able to do this without Raph!" Mikey exclaims from his bowl.

"Believe in yourselves!" Tummy-Tello tells him.

"Guys," Donnie sits up. "Tummy-Tello's right. Leo, give me the rest of your pizza puffs."

"Well, I don't have any more-" Donnie holds up a bag full of them as Amy crosses her arms at her boyfriend. "Aww, man, those really are the last ones," He looks away, blushing in embarrassment.

"Again with the lying, Leo..." She shakes her head slowly.

"Only because I was gonna share 'em with you!"

Donnie plants the bag onto Mikey's mouth. He pulls back Mikey's mouth. "Hot..."

"Soup!" Mikey finishes in a muffled voice as he releases the pizza puffs into Meat Sweats' mouth. They watch as he eats them, swallowing.

"Oh my...those are delicious." His finger starts growing larger. "Oh no! What's happening to this little piggy?" Tiny little Meat Sweats start growing on his finger. Then they grow on his arm, chuckling evilly. He screams as his skin gets covered in them, taking over his body. He grows even bigger and they stare up at him in shock. His neck and arms get bigger, and they start to crush cabinets. One of them has the antidote.

"That must be the antidote! Leo, save us with my jelly bones!" He puts his jelly arm on Leo's hand.

"And vile snatch!" Leo uses Mikey's head to grab the vial. Mikey drinks it and turns back to normal, smiling. Leo drinks some too and the flames go away. Donnie takes it from him.

"It's been my honor serving with you, Tummy-Tello."

"I'll always be with you..." He murmurs as Amy stares at them.

"Okay, hurry up and drink it. I just can't with the talking stomach."

He does and Tummy-Tello disappears.

"Wait, uh...let's talk this over," Meat Sweats speaks up nervously. "Just a little sip, eh, my chummy whubbies?"

"Ah, a moral quandary. Do we give the antidote to the villain or..."

Leo takes the antidote, eating a pizza puff. His head lights up on fire and he drinks it. "Poison antidote. Everything he makes is delicious!" He doesn't notice the deadpan looks from the others. "My lady? How about you give him a little lesson?"

She smirks at the pig, cracking her knuckles and then her neck. She then leans forward and punches him in the face.

"OW! My face!"

He tosses the antidote away, which only has one drop left. Meat Sweats screams in horror, crawling after it. He speeds right past them through the door, getting stuck in it.

Later, they meet up with Raph, who has a black eye and some bruises. "Huh?" He looks up and sees them all cured.

"I knew you guys could do it. No you didn't! I did! Oh, you wanna go? Bring it!" He then beats himself up like he did the first time. Which explains the bruises...

"Eh, Raph will take care of it," Leo shrugs a bit.

"He's gonna need two therapists: One for himself, and one for the therapist."

They all laugh at Amy's joke. She steps forward and stops Raph from hurting himself further. She bends down so that she's at eye level with him. "Raph...I'm..."

"Sorry? Yeah, me too," He admits sheepishly. "I know you're all jaded and tough, but...you also have heart. In here," He gestures to his plastron. "So...I'll back off."

"I'm not saying you can't be a big brother to me. Just don't go overboard," She smirks, patting his shoulder.

"I did not," He defends, crossing his arms and she looks at him skeptically. "Okay, maybe a little."

"So, now that you and my lady made up-"

"Leo, you lied to me," She turns to him quickly. Donnie and Mikey wince, moving away from him. "Multiple times. You said you wouldn't do that to me anymore, and you broke that promise." He frowns at her and she sighs in frustration, getting onto her feet. "I'm going home. I need to check on Chewie..."

And with that, she jumps onto her bike and leaves.

Meat Sweats manages to slip out of the doorway. The others are long gone. He takes the vial into his hand and has the last drop. It's enough to turn him back to normal, thankfully. "Oh, that's much better..."

He tosses the vial over his shoulder, and it hits the ground. Dark shadows emerge from the door, swallowing up the vial. They slither up to the mutant pig, looming over him. He hears the noise and turns around too late and lets out a squeal.

And then he's suddenly gone...

* * *

Amy enters her store, shutting it closed behind her. She can hear rock music from the upstairs floor, shaking her head slowly. As she's pulling down the blinds, she thinks about Leo and his lies. She should've known that he'd do it again...and she does trust him, but those puffs could've gotten him hurt. And she couldn't have that. She can't let it happen.

She _won't_ let it happen.

The brunette goes up the steps to her loft, opening up the door at the top. She sighs in relief that the place isn't trashed, as Chewbacon used to do that when she first had him. Usually, she doesn't leave him alone for that reason, but lately, he's been more responsible. Something that most of her friends can't do, apparently...

She closes the door behind him as she can hear It's Not Unusual by Tom Jones. The girl snorts to herself as she can imagine Leo doing the Carlton Dance or even the Floss. He would teach her some dance sometimes to help perfect her moves. Even though her electricity doesn't work without dancing anymore, it's still quality time together...

Chewbacon slides into the living room from her bedroom, in a white dress shirt and sunglasses on. He starts doing the Carlton Dance, waving his arms back and forth. She covers her mouth, snickering. It seems as if he hasn't noticed that she's returned yet. A smirk reaches her lips as she places a hand on her hip.

After a few minutes of rocking out, he slides to a stop right in front of his owner. He oinks in alarm, taking off his sunglasses with a sheepish look.

"Oh, I'm never gonna forget this..." She laughs, turning off the radio. "Come on, now, it's late. Time for bed."

He just oinks as she walks across the living room. He knows something that she doesn't. She opens up the door to her bedroom and freezes.

Leo is laying down on her bed, surrounded by rose petals. He has a rose in his mouth and after getting out of shock, she gives a deadpan look.

"No," She's about to slam the door when he races across the room, putting his arm between the door.

"Wait! Ames, I'm sorry! You're right! You've always been right! I-I didn't wanna lie to you, but it was the pizza puffs! I was just being an idiot!"

"You're not an idiot!" She exclaims at him and he goes silent. Amy looks towards the ground, opening up the door fully.

"...I'm sorry..."

"I know you are," Amy murmurs to the turtle. "I was just trying to make sure that you didn't get hurt..."

"Psh. It's me," He gestures to himself, flexing a muscle. "Those pizza puffs had nothing on me."

"Yeah, but I saw how it was affecting you, and that was because you kept eating them..." She frowns and he stops flexing, his confident smile dropping. "I didn't want to see yourself possibly get worse because of them...You looked like you were getting sicker in my eyes. I lost my brother, my father, my sister...I can't bear it if I ever see you perish like them, Papi..." She blinks back tears and he leans forward, hugging her.

"Aw, my lady..." He runs a hand through her hair. In all the time he's been with her, he's never seen her so worried about him. And usually, she's brushing his worries off. Or stopping him from doing something crazy if his brothers are involved. "I'm sorry I made you worry...but I'm fine now. I'm not gonna go away like they did," He cups her cheeks, kissing her forehead.

"Sorry I overreacted to you lying to me. I just..." She closes her eyes.

"I get it. I swear, I'll work on it."

Amy opens her eyes as he strokes her cheek. "I promise. For real this time. I want to be someone you can trust, dove."

She smiles weakly up at him. "I do trust you...I still do. I mean, if it wasn't for you, Big Mama would've had me destroyed in her Battle Nexus. And you're one of the few people I wouldn't point my shotgun at."

"But you have," He raises a brow at her.

"Not on purpose," She reminds him as she hugs his neck. "Remember that you came in unexpectedly without warning."

"Good times, my lady!" He grins, pecking her lips. He's been wanting to kiss her the whole day. "Like the time we danced in Times Square together." He steps back a bit and starts mimicking her moves from that day to the best of his ability. She starts laughing at him, hands on her knees.

Chewbacon snaps a photo from Amy's phone to look at later, crawling past them. Leo takes her hand, pulling her forward so that they can dance together. He goes over to the radio and puts on some music so they can dance the night away.


End file.
